dolor

The word dolor is a formal and somewhat uncommon English noun meaning pain, sorrow, or suffering. It comes from Latin, where it meant "pain," and that core idea still remains. In English, the word can refer to physical pain, but it is also used for emotional grief, especially in writing that aims for a serious, poetic, religious, or old-fashioned tone.

You are not likely to hear this word in casual conversation. Most people would simply say "pain," "grief," or "sorrow." When dolor does appear, it often adds a literary or elevated feel. A poem may speak of the dolor of loss, a historical or religious text may use it for suffering, and medical writing may use related forms in technical expressions about pain.

The meaning does not have to be purely emotional. That is important. The word can cover both bodily pain and inner suffering, depending on the context. Still, in many modern examples, the emotional or literary side stands out more because ordinary physical pain is usually described with simpler words.

Think of a line in a poem about grief, a solemn religious passage about suffering, or a formal discussion of pain in a medical setting. In all of these cases, dolor names suffering in a weighty and serious way. It is best understood as a learned or literary word for pain and sorrow, not as an everyday choice in common speech.