LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

tormentum

tormentum n (genitive tormentī)
Classical[tɔrˈmɛn.tũː]Ecclesiastical[torˈmɛn.tum]

Meaning

  1. neuteran engine for hurling missiles; a shot or missile thrown by this, artillery
  2. neutera (twisted) cord or rope
  3. neuteran instrument of torture
  4. neutertorture, anguish, pain, torment
    At illī, quibus nōn tantum cōram dominīs, sed cum ipsīs erat sermō — quōrum os nōn cōnsuēbātur — parātī erant prō dominō porrigere cervīcem, perīculum imminēns in caput suum āvertere; in convīviīs loquēbantur, sed in tormentīs tacēbant.But those [slaves] for whom not only in-person to [their] masters but with themselves was conversation [permitted] — whose mouth was not stitched shut — ready they were on behalf of the master to offer the neck, an impending danger onto their own head to turn; at dinner parties they were speaking, but in tortures they were silent. (In other words, Seneca makes the extraordinary claim that slaves who are treated humanely will sacrifice themselves and refuse to testify under torture. See, e.g.: Pythias (Roman).)c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 47.4
  5. neutera clothes press, mangle
  6. New Latinneutergun, cannon

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

īnstrūmentum quod tēla iacit
artillery engine
tormentum -ī (n) — in De Bello Gallico II, ch. 3
īnstrūmentīs quae dolōrem faciunt
artillery engine
tormentum -ī (n) — in De Bello Gallico III, ch. 9
cruciātus quaerendī
tormentum -ī (n) — in Epistulae, ch. 21
māchina bellī, quae saxa longē iacit
tormentum -ī (n) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 18

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Cruciatus · Tormentum

Cruciatus, crucimenta (κρόκα, κρέκω), denote in general any pangs, natural and artificial; tormenta (from torquere), especially pangs caused by an instrument of torture, like the rack. Cic. Phil. xi. 4. Nec vero graviora sunt carnificum tormenta quam interdum cruciamenta morborum. (vi. 87.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetormentumtormenta
genitivetormentītormentōrum
dativetormentōtormentīs
accusativetormentumtormenta
ablativetormentōtormentīs
vocativetormentumtormenta

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

cruciatūs tormentorum
the pains of torture.
alicui admovere tormenta
to have a person tortured.
oppidum tormentis verberare
to rain missiles on a town, bombard it.
quaerere tormentis de aliquo
to have a person tortured.
minitari (minari) alicui mortem, crucem et tormenta, bellum
to threaten some one with death, crucifixion, torture, war.

tormentum, i, n. torqueo, an instrument with which any thing is turned or twisted.
I. An engine for hurling missiles.
A. Lit.: tormenta telorum, Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 57: tormentis Mutinam verberavit, id. Phil. 8, 7, 20; Caes. B. G. 2, 8; 4, 25; id. B. C. 1, 17; Hirt. B. G. 8, 14, 5: machinator bellicorum tormentorum, Liv. 24, 34, 2; Sil. 6, 279; Tac. A. 2, 81; id. H. 3, 20; 4, 23; Curt. 4, 3, 13.—
B. Transf., a missile, shot thrown by the engine: quod unum genus tegumenti nullo telo neque tormento transici posse, Caes. B. C. 2, 9; telum tormentumve missum, id. ib. 3, 51; 3, 56; Plin. 8, 23, 35, § 85; Stat. Th. 9, 145; Curt. 4, 2, 9.—
II. A (twisted) cord, rope: praesectis crinibus tormenta effecerunt, Caes. B. C. 3, 9: falces tormentis introrsus reducebant, id. B. G. 7, 22, 2: laxare, Quint. Decl. 19, 15; Grat. Cyn. 26; Auct. Priap. 6: stuppeum, App. Mag. p. 276, 14: ferreum, i. e. fetters, Plaut. Curc. 2, 1, 12; cf.: sine tormentorum injuriā, Petr. 102.—
III. An instrument of torture, a rack.
A. Lit.: verberibus ac tormentis quaestionem habere, Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5; 11, 4, 8; 13, 9, 21: quaerere de aliquo tormentis, id. Deiot. 1, 3; id. Clu. 63, 176 sq.; id. Mil. 21, 57; 22, 58; id. Sull. 28, 78; id. Off. 3, 9, 39; id. Part. Or. 14, 50; id. Tusc. 5, 28, 80; Caes. B. G. 6, 18; Quint. 2, 20, 10; 3, 5, 10; Suet. Tib. 19; 58; 62 al.: tu lene tormentum ingenio admoves, a rack of a mild sort, Hor. C. 3, 21, 13.—
B. Transf., in gen., torture, anguish, pain, torment, etc.: cruciatus et tormenta pati, Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 6; cf.: tormento liberari, Col. 6, 7, 1; so of the torture or pain of sickness, Cels. 7, 11; Plin. 19, 8, 44, § 155; 20, 4, 13, § 27; 22, 22, 37, § 79: tormenta fortunae, Cic. Tusc. 5, 1, 1: caecae suspitionis, Caecin. ap. Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 4: invidiā Siculi non invenere tyranni Majus tormentum, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 59; Juv. 2, 137: esse in tormentis, Plin. Ep. 8, 23, 9: incredibiles cruciatus et indignissima tormenta pati, id. ib. 1, 12, 6: tormentum sibi injungere, id. Pan. 86, 1: bene tormentis secubituque coli, Ov. Am. 3, 10, 16; so of the pain of love, Mart. 7, 29, 1: tormentis gaudet amantis, Juv. 6, 209: animi tormenta latentis in aegro Corpore, id. 9, 18.—
IV. A clothes-press, mangle, Sen. Tranq. 1, 3.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *torkmentom. Related to torqueō (“twist, bend, wind”).

Descendants
  • Catalanturment
  • Englishtorment
  • Frenchtourment
  • Frenchtourmente
  • Italiantormento
  • Italiantormenta
  • Portuguesetormento
  • Portuguesetormenta
  • Romanianturment
  • Sardiniantormentu

In English words that came into English from tormentum

  • tormenttormentum
  • tormentumtormentum

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesTormentumTormentum was a general name for artillery among the ancients. I. DESCRIPTIVE. --The two main classes of tormenta are those which discharged their mis…AntiquitiesTormentumTormentum (βάσανος), torture. Greek In the articles APOTYMPANISMOS and CRUX it has been argued that the Greeks of pre-Macedonian times were far more h…

Quick answers

What does tormentum mean in Latin?
tormentum, a noun, means “an engine for hurling missiles; a shot or missile thrown by this, artillery; a (twisted) cord or rope”.
What is the genitive of tormentum?
The genitive singular is tormentī. tormentum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce tormentum?
In classical Latin, [tɔrˈmɛn.tũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [torˈmɛn.tum].