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mortification

If you've ever gone an entire day with your fly unzipped, not realizing until after you've given a speech in front of a huge audience, you know what mortification feels like.

Mortification is the feeling of being completely humiliated. The word mortification has its roots in the Latin word for "death," mors. The original meaning of mortification was religious; in Christianity the meaning is "putting your sin to death". In Christian practice, this has varied from denying oneself pleasurable things, like certain foods, to inflicting physical pain on oneself. The religious reason for this kind of mortification is to cause the "death" of sins — or desires — of the body.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: mortification

1
n
strong feelings of embarrassment
2
n
the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)
3
n
(Christianity) the act of mortifying the lusts of the flesh by self-denial and privation (especially by bodily pain or discomfort inflicted on yourself)
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: mortification
1

n strong feelings of embarrassment

Synonyms:
chagrin, humiliation
Type of:
embarrassment
the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

n an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect

Synonyms:
humiliation
Type of:
case, example, instance
an occurrence of something
2

n the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)

Synonyms:
gangrene, necrosis, sphacelus
Types:
myonecrosis
localized death of muscle cell fibers
Type of:
death
the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism
3

n (Christianity) the act of mortifying the lusts of the flesh by self-denial and privation (especially by bodily pain or discomfort inflicted on yourself)

Type of:
self-control, self-denial, self-discipline
the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses
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