Source of suffering (7)

I believe the answer is:

scourge

(Other definitions for scourge that I've seen before include "Bane, curse" , "Curse; whip" , "form of punishment" , "torment" , "Whip; agent of suffering" .)

I've seen this clue in The New York Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.