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Definition of gibbet noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

gibbet

noun

/ˈdʒɪbɪt/

/ˈdʒɪbɪt/

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(in the past) a wooden structure on which criminals were hanged synonym gallows

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(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.

See gibbet in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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