Severity; painfulness. Obsolete. (In later quots. figurative from 2.)

Originally: †the quality of being hard to bear, harshness, severity (obsolete). Later more generally: the quality of being hard (in various senses)…

That which induces pain or distress; sharp discipline; severity or sharpness (of something). Now rare.

Severity, acuteness (of pain or sorrow); painfulness, hardship.

transferred and figurative (cf. 1b). The ‘clutch’ or ‘pinch’ of something painful. Formerly often in plural: Spasms of pain, pangs of grief or…

Intensity of grief or distress; hurtful or wounding quality; poignancy. Now rare.

Grievousness (of pain, affliction, penalties, etc.).