Mortification

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌmɔːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Definitions

1. A state of intense shame or humiliation combined with the deliberate suppression of physical desires through self-denial or bodily punishment for spiritual purposes, or the decay and death of body tissue
2. Deep embarrassment and chagrin often accompanied by religious self-denial through physical hardship, or the necrosis and decomposition of living flesh in localized areas
3. A feeling of profound humiliation or embarrassment ; the practice of denying oneself physical comforts or pleasures for spiritual growth ; the process by which body tissue dies and decomposes

Etymology: Mortification began as a religious term before it meant embarrassment. In medieval Christian practice, it referred to the deliberate subduing of the body's appetites through fasting, self-denial or penance, the sense that the Latin "mortificātiō" carried, drawn from "mortificare", "to make dead". The idea was that the flesh had to be put to death so that the spirit could live. From that root, the word spread through Middle French and into Middle English, where it kept the sense of bodily or spiritual self-discipline. Its meaning drifted from the physical act of killing desires toward the mental suffering of being humbled, and by the time it described the sting of shame or embarrassment, the original image of putting something to death had largely faded from view. The English word is a compound of "mortify" and the noun-forming suffix "-ation", which is why it reads as an action or process of the verb.

Synonyms: humiliation, embarrassment, shame, disgrace, abashment

Antonyms: pride, confidence, self-esteem, dignity, honor