عَذَابٌ

Punishment, castigation, or chastisement, [or] such as serves to give warning to others than the sufferer, or to restrain the offender from repeating the offence; synonym عُقُوبَةٌ, (S, O,) or نَكَالٌ: (K, and Ksh and Bd in ii. 6:) so termed from عَذَبَ “ he prevented ” &c.; because it prevents the person punished from returning to the like of his offence, and prevents others from doing the like of that which he has done: (MF, TA:) [it generally signifies any corporal punishment:] and, by an extension of the original signification, any [infliction of] pain that disgraces, or puts to shame: (Ksh and Bd ubi suprà:) originally, beating: afterwards used to signify any painful punishment: [torture; or torment:] and metaphorically applied to (tropical:) an affair, or event, that is difficult, distressing, afflicting, or troublesome; whence the saying, السَّفَرُ قِطْعَةٌ مِنَ العَذَابِ [Travel is a portion of that which is difficult, &c.; or of torment]: (Msb:) in the Qur'an, 23:78, it means hunger, or famine: (Zj, O, TA:) the plural is أَعْذِبَةٌ: (Zj, K, TA:) the author of the K says in article نهر [voce نَهَارٌ] that it has no plural: [and it seems to be doubted whether it have a plural because it is properly a verbal noun though its verb in the unaugmented form is not used:] but MF observes that if it be a name for that whereby one is prevented [from repeating an offence], as hunger, or famine, agreeably with what Zj says, there is no reason why it should not have this plural (TA.)