gibbet

[ jib-it ]

/ ˈdʒɪb ɪt /

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See synonyms for: gibbet / gibbeted / gibbeting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a gallows with a projecting arm at the top, from which the bodies of criminals were formerly hung in chains and left suspended after execution.

verb (used with object), gib·bet·ed, gib·bet·ing.

to hang on a gibbet.

to put to death by hanging on a gibbet.

to hold up to public scorn.

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Origin of gibbet

1175–1225; Middle English <Old French gibet (earlier, staff or cudgel), diminutive of gibe staff, club

Words nearby gibbet

gibber, Gibberd, gibberellic acid, gibberellin, gibberish, gibbet, gibble-gabble, Gib board, gibbon, Gibbon, Edward, Gibbons

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gibbet in a sentence

For years afterwards the place was known as Gibbet Hill, and, indeed, the country folk still speak of it by that name.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
It was regarded with a loathing and abhorrence more intense than that in which the felons gibbet is held to-day.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
From the gibbet that rose over the western branch of the road three corpses hung by the neck.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
That massive pile of stones bore at its top four iron forks fastened at right angles, gibbet-shaped.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue

The latter stopped first before the iron gibbet that terminated in a carcan.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue

British Dictionary definitions for gibbet

gibbet

/ (ˈdʒɪbɪt) /

noun

a wooden structure resembling a gallows, from which the bodies of executed criminals were formerly hung to public view
a gallows

verb (tr)

to put to death by hanging on a gibbet

to hang (a corpse) on a gibbet

to expose to public ridicule

Word Origin for gibbet

C13: from Old French gibet gallows, literally: little cudgel, from gibe cudgel; of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

gibbet

Origin of gibbet

Words nearby gibbet

Words related to gibbet

How to use gibbet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gibbet

Word Origin for gibbet