GO:0019233

The series of events required for an organism to receive a painful stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. Pain is medically defined as the physical sensation of discomfort or distress caused by injury or illness, so can hence be described as a harmful stimulus which signals current (or impending) tissue damage. Pain may come from extremes of temperature, mechanical damage, electricity or from noxious chemical substances. This is a neurological process. [http://www.onelook.com/]