Pain:An unpleasantsensationthat canrangefrom mild, localized discomfort to agony.Painhas both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results fromnervestimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, asinaninjury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders likefibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to thebrainwhere their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
Pain is also a term specifically used to denote a painful uterinecontractionoccurring inchildbirth.
The word "pain" comes from the Latin "poena" meaning a fine, a penalty.
