Penance – Punishment inflicted on oneself to show you are sorry
(Pronounced pen-unse)
To remember the definition of the word penance, use the following mnemonic:
A pen of ants (penance) was what she jumped into to show she was sorry.
Examples of penance in a sentence
The man gave away all of his money to charity as penance for his greed.
If you are a Christian, you believe Jesus paid the ultimate penance for everyone by dying on the cross.
The Mother Superior was a cruel woman who deliberately came up with harsh acts of penance for the few nuns who misbehaved.
