caused embarrassment - The word mortify means to cause someone to feel embarrassed or humiliated. So when Janis found out that her brother had read her diary, she felt embarrassed, or rather, she felt like her brother's actions were purposely intended to make her feel embarrassed and ashamed. The word mortify is derived from the latin word mortificare, meaning to put to death. In most contexts it signifies making someone to want to die of embarassment.
