"Torture" etimology

 The word "torture" has its roots in Latin "tortura," meaning "a twisting, writhing". The word was used in Medieval Latin to describe "pain inflicted by judicial or ecclesiastical authority as a means of punishment or persuasion". The English word "torture" was first used in the 15th century to describe "contortion, twisting, distortion; a disorder characterized by contortion". The meaning "infliction of severe bodily pain as a means of punishment or persuasion" in English is from the 16th centur.

Words indicating labor in most European languages originate in an imagery of compulsion, torment, affliction, and persecution[3][5]. The French word "travail" (and Spanish "trabajo") and its English equivalent are derived from the Latin "trepaliare" meaning "to torture, to inflict suffering or agony". The German "Arbeit" suggests effort, hardship, and suffering.

The word "pine" also has a similar meaning to "torture" and is derived from a general Germanic word. It means "to torture, torment, afflict, cause to suffer".

In summary, the word "torture" has its roots in Latin and was used to describe pain inflicted by judicial or ecclesiastical authority as a means of punishment or persuasion. Words indicating labor in most European languages also have roots in the imagery of compulsion, torment, affliction, and persecution. The word "pine" also has a similar meaning to "torture."