corporal punishment

noun

1. Law.,  physical punishment, as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime: formerly included the death penalty, sentencing to a term of years, etc.

2. physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.

corporal punishment

noun

1. punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating

Word History and Origins

Origin of corporal punishment¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

Many parents, most of whom by now also had biological children, resorted to corporal punishment to enforce discipline.

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In later years, Buhari attributed his disciplinarian bent to spending his formative years at boarding school, where corporal punishment was the norm, and in the military.

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Some call for a return to the days of corporal punishment in schools, when unruly children were disciplined by "the tawse".

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Things took a dark turn next, however, with Hawk getting arrested in Southern California in late summer 2020 on domestic violence allegations of inflicting corporal punishment on a spouse or cohabitant in Santa Ana.

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In her first stint on the school board, from 1983 to 1991, she worked to end corporal punishment and spearheaded the first campus health clinics, which included contraceptive services.

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Related Words

• spanking 
• whipping