gibbet
noun/ˈdʒɪbɪt/
/ˈdʒɪbɪt/
- (in the past) a wooden structure on which criminals were hanged synonym gallows
- (in the past) a wooden structure on which the bodies of criminals were left hanging as a warning to others
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French gibet ‘staff, cudgel, gallows’, diminutive of gibe ‘club, staff’, probably of Germanic origin.
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gibbet