Middle English Dictionary Entry

penaunce n.
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Entry Info

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
Eccl. & theol. (a) The sacrament of penance or reconciliation; -- also personified; ~ of the chirche, sacrament of ~; bok o (of) ~, a treatise on penance, a penitential; taken with ~, to receive the sacrament of penance; (b) the third part of the sacrament of penance, satisfaction; the act of reparation or satisfaction assigned by a confessor to a penitent; also fig.; also, a penalty enjoined as a disciplinary measure by a religious superior; asken ~, to request to be shriven; dispensen of ~; enjoinen (setten, yeven) ~; leien ~ on, putten to ~, assign a penance to (sb.); afon (fon, fongen, receiven, taken) ~, accept the penance assigned by a confessor; (c) commune (open, published) ~; privat (prive, secret) ~; solempne ~; (d) don (beren, drien, driven, performen) ~, ben in ~, to do penance, carry out one's penance, undergo penance; (e) breken ~, to fail to complete one's assigned penance; holden ~, persevere in doing one's penance, maintain amendment of one's life; singen ~, confess one's sins; time of ~, a penitential season; Lent; person. performing of ~; (f) used analogically of pagans: satisfaction for sin.
2.
(a) Repentance, change of heart; compunction, contrition; conversion, reformation of one's life; also, the virtue of penance, the disposition to repent [quot.: CMSoul, 1st]; psalm o (of, for) ~, one of the seven penitential psalms; weke of ~, Holy Week; (b) phrases in Biblical translations: don (haven) ~, to repent of one's sins, amend one's life; don ~, change one's mind [quots.: Jer.]; iturnen to ~; stede of ~, a chance or occasion for repentance; don ~ of (for, from), repent of (one's sins), be sorry for (one's sins); dede (fruit) of ~, a work or action indicative of penitence.
3.
(a) Penalty, punishment; a judicial sentence; also, divine chastisement; also, prison [quot.: ?a1400, 1st]; nimen ~ for, to accept the punishment due to another; (b) the punishment or pains of purgatory or hell; ~ of purgatorie, the sufferings of purgatory.
4.
(a) The practice of asceticism and self-mortification as a penitential discipline; a life of renunciation and asceticism; -- also personified; (b) discipline of ~, wei of ~; bodili ~, mortification of the flesh, self-chastisement; (c) an act of self-mortification or chastisement; self-denial; dede (werk) of ~; (d) reparation, amends; don ~ for, to offer sacrifice to God in reparation for (sin); taken (werken) ~, make amends; (e) austerity, frugality, simplicity of life.
5.
(a) Pain, suffering; affliction, hardship; also, a distasteful task or duty [quot.: a1393]; also, hunger pangs [quot.: Ben.Rule(2)]; (b) mental anguish, misery, distress; love-longing; also, vexation [quot.: ?a1439]; also, mourning [quot.: a1393]; don ~ on, to be grieved by (sth.).
6.
A meager meal, penitential fare.
7.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. penance.