punish

/ˈpə-nish/

Middle English punisshen, from Anglo-French puniss-, stem of punir, from Latin punire, from poena penalty

verb

  1. to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation

  2. to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation

  3. to deal with roughly or harshly

punish chastise castigate chasten discipline correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing. punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing. chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.