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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

on pain of en · ADP

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɑn ˈpeɪn əv/ (General-American)
  • /ɒn ˈpeɪn əv/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From on + pain (“suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty”) + of; compare French sous peine de.

Meanings

  1. Used to warn of consequences if a specified act is done or not done: subject to the punishment of (some penalty); or (generally) subject to the circumstance of (some thing).
    • The White Queen is offered for sacrifice six times in succession, and must be refused each time on pain of checkmate! 1943 January, Irving Chernev, “Chess Thrillers”, in Chess Review:
    • [N]o flattery for't: No lick-foote, paine of looſing your proboſcis:[…] [1629 (first performance), B[en] Jonson, The New Inne. Or, The Light Heart. […], London: […] Thomas Harper, for Thomas Alchorne, […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act II, scene vi:
    • On paine of death, no perſon be ſo bold, Or daring, hardy, as to touch the liſtes, Except the Martiall and ſuch officers Appoynted to direct theſe faire deſignes. 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
    • Translated, it was a warning to the Claytons to refrain from reporting the loss of the revolvers, or from repeating what the old sailor had told them—to refrain on pain of death. 1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Out to Sea”, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC, page 16:
    • Seb[astian]. […] [M]y duty, then, To interpoſe; on pain of my diſpleasure, Betwixt your Swords[.] Dor[ax]. On pain of Infamy He ſhould have diſobey'd. 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 105:

Relateds

at the risk of

Synonyms

upon pain of · under pain of

Translations (7)

fr sous peine de (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · pl pod karą (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · de unter Androhung von (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · nl op straffe van (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · de bei (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · fi uhalla (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of) · es so pena de (subject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of)