Learn Greek › B2 › βασανίζω
βασανίζω
to torture /va.sa.ˈni.zo/
verbB2#2464 most common
Also: to torment, to plague, to harass
Example sentences
Ο πονόδοντος με βασανίζει.
My toothache is tormenting me.
Αυτή η σκέψη με βασανίζει συνέχεια.
This thought torments me constantly.
Μην βασανίζεις το ζώο, άφησέ το ήσυχο.
Don't torment the animal, leave it alone.
Οι δεσμοφύλακες βασάνισαν τους αιχμαλώτους.
The guards tortured the prisoners.
Τον βασάνισαν επί ώρες για να αποσπάσουν ομολογία.
They tortured him for hours to extract a confession.
Η αβεβαιότητα για το μέλλον τον βασάνιζε κάθε νύχτα, στερώντας του τον ύπνο.
Uncertainty about the future tormented him every night, robbing him of sleep.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | βασανίζω | βασάνισα | θα βασανίσω |
| 2sg | βασανίζεις | βασάνισες | θα βασανίσεις |
| 3sg | βασανίζει | βασάνισε | θα βασανίσει |
| 1pl | βασανίζουμε | βασανίσαμε | θα βασανίσουμε |
| 2pl | βασανίζετε | βασανίσατε | θα βασανίσετε |
| 3pl | βασανίζουν | βασάνισαν | θα βασανίσουν |
Word family
βάσανοςtorment, ordeal, hardshipβασανιστήριοtorture chamber, means of torture
βασανιστήςtorturer
βασανισμένοςtormented, worn down by hardship
βασανιστικόςagonizing, excruciating
Etymology
The verb comes from the ancient Greek noun βάσανος, the touchstone used to test the purity of gold by rubbing it and checking the streak it left. The sense extended from testing metal to testing a person, then to interrogation under duress, and finally to torture and torment in general. The origin of βάσανος itself is not securely Indo-European; many scholars trace it to a Lydian or other Anatolian source tied to a stone found near Mount Basani in Asia Minor.
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