Pang
WordNet
noun
(1) A sudden sharp feeling
"Pangs of regret"
"She felt a stab of excitement"
"Twinges of conscience"
(2) A sharp spasm of pain
(3) A mental pain or distress
"A pang of conscience"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From }, an altered form of ,
Noun
- A paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; a sudden and transitory agony; a throe.
- 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, act 3, sc. 3,
- See, how the pangs of death do make him grin!
- 1888, Oscar Wilde, "The Nightingale and the Rose" in The Happy Prince and Other Tales,
- So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang of pain shot through her.
- 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, act 3, sc. 3,
- A sharp, sudden feeling of a mental or emotional nature, as of joy or sorrow.
- 1867, Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Guardian Angel, ch. 7,
- He was startled with a piece of information which gave him such an exquisite pang of delight that he could hardly keep the usual quiet of his demeanor.
- 1867, Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Guardian Angel, ch. 7,
Verb
- To torment; to torture; to cause to have great pain or suffering.
- 1918, Christopher Morley, "On Unanswering Letters" in Mince Pie,
- It panged him so to say good-bye when he had to leave.
- 1918, Christopher Morley, "On Unanswering Letters" in Mince Pie,