Tribulation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/

Definitions

1. A state of great suffering or distress caused by hardship or persecution
2. A situation that involves severe suffering or distress due to adversity or hardship
3. A period or cause of intense suffering, hardship, or torment that tests endurance

Etymology: The most striking thing about "tribulation" is that its root describes a farm tool. Latin "tribulum" was a threshing sledge, a heavy wooden board studded with sharp flints or iron teeth, dragged over harvested grain to separate the kernels from the husks. The verb "tribulare" meant to press or thresh out grain with that sledge, and the physical violence of the image carried over into the word's sense of being crushed or battered. The chain of borrowing runs through Late Latin "tribulatio," meaning distress or affliction, then Old French "tribulacion," and into Middle English. The Latin noun "tribulum" itself traces back to "terere," meaning to rub, which is also the source of "trite," a word that once described something worn smooth by repeated use.

Synonyms: suffering, hardship, adversity

Antonyms: ease, comfort