corporal punishment
- 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.
- physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.
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Origin of corporal punishment
First recorded in 1575–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
corporal punishment
- punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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