punishment Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of punishing
    penalty; penalization; penalisation.

WordNet

Pun"ish*ment noun
Definitions
  1. The act of punishing.
  2. Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense.
    I never gave them condign punishment. Shak.
    The rewards and punishments of another life. Locke.
  3. (Law) A penalty inflicted by a court of justice on a convicted offender as a just retribution, and incidentally for the purposes of reformation and prevention.

Webster 1913