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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Torment, Turment, v. Also: tourment, towrment. P.t. also torment. P.p. also tormentted, torment, turment. [ME and e.m.E. i-tormentede p.p. (c1290), turment- (c1300), tourment- (Wyclif), turment p.p. (c1440), OF tor-, tur-, tourmenter, med. L. tormentare.] tr.

1. To torture, to punish by inflicting pain upon (a person).pres. a1400 Leg. S. iii 607.
Quhat thu has in thocht Of grewouse payne to torment me, Do fourth! 1590–1 Crim. Trials I ii 215.
Her maister … did with the help of others torment her with the torture of the pilliwinkes upon her fingersp.t. 1494 Loutfut MS 31a.
He that him [sc. the serpent] first bure in armes wes of mony mervalus condiciones and thaim that he hatit he punyst thaim & torment in diuers manerisp.p. a1400 Leg. S. xxxvii 394.
Sancte Vincent tormentit ves, Byrsit, beft [and] brynt c1420 Wynt. iii 910.
Ay in a delyt wes he Men towrmentid [C. turment, W. pvnyst] in payne to se c1475 Wall. ix 75.
Wald God I war torment, So Wallace mycht with worschip chaip wnschent 1531 Bell. Boece II 122.
My mind and body is aflocht, specially sen I hard thir innocent men sa cruelly tormentit 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3719.
Thay war the caus of his [sc. the emperor's] infirmitie. And gat thay not remeid incontinent Vnto the deith thay suld be all torment 1568 Lyndesay Pref. (STS) 399.
Patrik Hammiltoun … sufferit cruell deith by fyre. Robert Forester, … on the samin maner was tormentit 1622-6 Bisset II 433/16.
The slayers of … King James … war richt horrablie tortoured and tormentted for thair maist treassonabill offensis

b. specif. Of the fires of hell. Chiefly passive, to be tortured in(to) or with(in) the fires of hell. 1490 Irland Mir. III 63/23.
This fyr byrnis punysis and tourmentis thamepassive 1513 Doug. vi ix 161.
Thai beyn alsso within ȝon pyt turment Quhilk [etc.] 1567 G. Ball. 41.
I am torment sair into this flame a1585 Maitl. Q. 164/34.
Ȝe sall not cum to the gloir Of hevinis impyire Bot euer moir Tormentit soir In hellis fyire 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. 388.
The wikit and unworthie ressauers of Christs pretious bodie and bluid … incurris the lyk domage, as thay wha are tormentit with the het feure, wha ressaues halesome meates to thair perdition

2. To afflict (a person) with great suffering or misery. Also with a non-personal subject. Also passive and reflex.Some examples may be regarded as fig. uses of 1 above. a1400 Leg. S. iii 82.
[A]ne woman … that wedyt was wilfully With ane murthire, & was With barne with hyme, that turment hir ȝarne a1500 Quare Jel. 139.
To turment suich one creature To done hir wo to done hir payne endure c1520-c1535 Nisbet Heb. xi 37.
Thai went about … in skinnis of gait, misterfull, anoyit, turmentit 1567 G. Ball. 186.
Lat Moses preiche to Pharo as he lykis, Ȝit sall the peple be tormentit lyke tykis, And neuer depart from Egypt 1580-92 James VI Lusus Reg. 36.
Faire & false tormentis me thus, & haldis me by the halse 1600 Colville Palinode Sig. A 3.
My conscience … ieaning and tormenting me with vnspeakable terrors c1600 Montg. Suppl. xxv 14.
Than absence, presence, remembrance, all thre, Torment me for hir saik eternallie 1603 Philotus 829.
Wee ȝoung things tormentit to, Thair daffing dois vs swa vndopassive c1450 Cr. Deyng (STS) 77.
A man wexit and torment with seknes a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 307.
With pane to be opprest, And torment sair with seiknes incurabill a1500 Quare Jel. 62.
Be the cause that I Am turment thus a1500 Quare Jel. 591.
How thir ladies turment bene in wo, And suffrith payne [etc.] 1533 Boece 120b.
Aulus Planctius, be ane lang continewit flux hevilie torment 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 61.
Tormentit with inwart terrouris of gyltie consciencereflex. 1568 Hosack Mary Q. of Scots I 533.
She burstit furth in direct wordis, … sair gretand and tormentand hir selff miserablie a1570-86 Arbuthnot in Maitl. F. 61/176.
Desist and ceis thi self for to torment