noun
mortification
Self-denial or bodily discipline for religious or moral reasons.
During Lent, she practices mortification by giving up favorite foods.
Etymology
The underlying verb means to put to death. Religious usage applies it figuratively to weakening bodily desires or worldly impulses through discipline and self-denial.
More examples
- The monks practice mortification through fasting and long periods of silence.
- He views mortification as a way to resist selfish desires.
- The monk's daily mortifications include fasting and taking cold showers.
Forms
mortification · mortifications
Similar words
- asceticism
- Emphasizes a sustained lifestyle of strict abstinence and simplicity.
- penance
- Focuses on acts performed to express repentance for wrongdoing.