Origin: Latin suffix -ence
Violence has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
the property of being wild or turbulent
"the storm's violence"
a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.
"After hours of violent thunderstorms tore through the valley, farmers found their fields buried under mud while several trees lay splintered across the road."
Extreme force.
"The storm's violence shook the windows, proving that nature can unleash extreme force without warning."
In plain English: Violence is the use of physical force to hurt someone or damage something.
"The police had to intervene after a sudden outbreak of violence at the crowded concert."
To subject to violence.
"The dictator's regime subjected all dissenters to violence without trial."
In plain English: To use violence is to hurt someone physically with force.
"He never wants to use violence to solve our argument."
The word entered English from the Old French violence, which itself came from the Latin violentia. It replaced the earlier native Old English term stræc to describe forceful or aggressive action.