mortification

Mortification is the experience or display of extreme shame or embarrassment. In everyday language, someone might feel mortified by an awkward social mistake or an injury to reputation. The term originates from the Latin mortificatio, from mors, mortis, meaning “death,” and entered English via Old French. In religious contexts, mortification refers to practices of self-denial or physical discipline intended to restrain the passions, cultivate humility, or imitate the suffering of Christ; this may include fasting, abstinence, or strict ascetic routines. The concept has also been used more broadly to describe any act intended to put to death undesirable impulses or habits.

In medical terminology, mortification denotes tissue death due to loss of blood supply, infection, or severe injury, a process also called necrosis or gangrene. This usage is unrelated to emotional embarrassment but reflects a similar notion of decay or destruction.

In psychology and everyday speech, mortification can describe acute, internalized feelings of disgrace that affect behavior and self-perception. Cultural attitudes toward mortification vary, with some traditions viewing it as virtuous discipline, while modern secular contexts often condemn self-harm or excessive penance.

Examples include a public gaffe that leaves a person wishing the ground would swallow them, or a religious or philosophical regimen that emphasizes mortified appetite or desires as a path to moral or spiritual development.

See also: mortification (disambiguation), self-denial, necrosis, embarrassment.