Meaning

noun a sudden sharp feeling

noun a mental pain or distress

noun a sharp spasm of pain

originThe origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly derived from Middle English *pange, perhaps an altered form of prange, prōnge (“affliction, agony, pain; pointed instrument”) as in prongys of deth (“pangs of death, death throes”), from Anglo-Latin pronga, of unknown origin. Perhaps connected with Middle Dutch prange, pranghe (“instrument for pinching”) (modern Dutch prang (“horse restraint;…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0