English word torment comes from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ-
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *terkʷ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | to turn |
| torqueo | Latin (lat) | I hurl violently; I spin, whirl.. I torment, torture.. I twist or bend awry, distort. I twist, wind. |
| tormentum | Latin (lat) | (New Latin) gun, cannon. A (twisted) cord or rope. A clothes press, mangle. An engine for hurling missiles; a shot or missile thrown by this. An instrument of torture. Torture, anguish, pain, torment. |
| torment | Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro) | (figuratively, by extension) suffering; torment. Torture. |
| torment | English (en) | (obsolete) A catapult or other kind of war-engine.. Any extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental.. Torture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture. (transitive) To cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.). |