A remorse; a pang of conscience or regret—a Middle English word for guilt or self-reproach.
From Middle English, combining 'ayen' (again) and 'bite,' literally meaning 'a biting again,' describing how guilt gnaws at the conscience repeatedly.
The title 'Ayenbite of Inwyt' (Remorse of Conscience) is a medieval religious text that shows how people created vivid metaphors for guilt—not just feeling bad, but being bitten repeatedly from within.
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