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# penance

noun (penance, a penance, penances)

«penance» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (church) Penance is something a person does to show they are sorry for a sin, such as saying prayers or doing a good deed, especially after confession in the Catholic Church. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#m1)
2. (church) Penance is also the name of the sacrament of confession (also called reconciliation). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#m2)
3. Something unpleasant you have to put up with, as if as a punishment: «Waiting in the queue was a penance». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#m3)

### In the lessons

In religious education, Catholic children learn about confession, where a priest may give a penance, often a few prayers. In everyday talk, «do penance» means doing something hard to make up for a wrong. Phrases: «do penance», «as a penance», «the sacrament of penance».

### Examples

- After confession the priest gave her a penance of three prayers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x1)
- He cleaned the kitchen as a penance for breaking the cup. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x2)
- In the Middle Ages, some people walked to holy places to do penance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x3)
- Catholics also call confession the sacrament of penance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x4)
- Listening to my brother's music was a real penance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x5)
- Lent is a time of prayer and penance for many Christians. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x6)
- She did penance by giving her pocket money to charity. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x7)
- Psyche had to undergo a long and severe penance before she became worthy to regain the happiness, which she had so foolishly trifled away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/#x8)

### Note

Mostly uncountable («do penance»), countable when it means a particular task («a penance»). Related: penitent, repent. Penance is not the same as punishment from a court; it is chosen to show sorrow.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «penance» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penance/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«penance» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/penance.html) on Mova free.