remorse

Etymology

First attested circa 14th century as Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsum, from Latin remordeō (“I torment, I vex”, literally “I bite back”), from re- + mordeō (“I bite”). More at remord.

noun

1. A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.
   In criminal proceedings, empirical studies have shown that remorse plays an important role in observers’ judgments of defendants. 1 March 2014, Rocksheng Zhong, Madelon Baranoski, Neal Feigenson, Larry Davidson, Alec Buchanan, Howard V. Zonana, “So You’re Sorry? The Role of Remorse in Criminal Law”, in Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, Volume 42, Issue 1, pages 39–48
   Failure, disgrace, poverty, sorrow, despair, suffering, tears even, the broken words that come from lips in pain, remorse that makes one walk on thorns, conscience that condemns . . . —all these were things of which I was afraid. 1897, Oscar Wilde, De Profundis
2. (obsolete) Sorrow; pity; compassion.

verb

1. To experience remorse; to regret.
   And if we look abroad, to take a view of men as they are, we shall find that they remorse in one place, for doing or omitting that which others, in another place, think they merit by. 1689, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
   When they have accepted their advice and have some upleasant experience then they remorse. 2009, Pankaj Arora, Sex Education In Schools, page 142
   Then with godly sorrow they remorse with a humble heart, and they repent. 2020, Donald Werner, The Mark of the Beast or the Seal of Yahoveh God?, page 7