Extremely painful or intense, whether physically or mentally; causing severe suffering or anguish. Can describe both literal pain and figurative torment like embarrassment or boredom.
From Latin 'excruciatus,' past participle of 'excruciare' meaning 'to torture' or 'to crucify,' literally 'out of the cross.' The word originally referred to the agony of crucifixion before expanding to describe any intense suffering.
The 'cruc' in excruciating comes from 'crux' (cross) — imagine the excruciating pain of crucifixion. Even waiting for test results can feel like an excruciating form of mental torture!
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