gibbet

[jib-it]

See more synonyms for gibbet 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.

Origin of gibbet

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gibbet

clog, congest, drown, suffocate, kill, gag, gasp, strangle, stifle, fill, stretch, execute, hoist, swing, scaffold, rope, hanging, noose, potence, gibbet

Examples from the Web for gibbet

Historical Examples of gibbet

Long ago the cliff with its gibbet has been washed away by the sea.
Bygone Punishments
William Andrews
The gibbet remained for three years, and was then blown down in a gale.
Bygone Punishments
William Andrews
The body of Peare was not permitted to remain long on the gibbet.
Bygone Punishments
William Andrews
The gibbet was standing until the year 1850, when it was blown down.
Bygone Punishments
William Andrews
I avoided the gibbet which, however, should not have dishonored me as I should only have been hung.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

British Dictionary definitions for gibbet

gibbet

noun

1. a wooden structure resembling a gallows, from which the bodies of executed criminals were formerly hung to public view
2. 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

Word Origin and History for gibbet

early 13c., "gallows," from Old French gibet "gallows; a bent stick," diminutive of gibe "club," perhaps from Frankish *gibb "forked stick." The verb meaning "to kill by hanging" is from 1590s. Related: Gibbeted; gibbeting. "Originally synonymous with GALLOWS sb., but in later use signifying an upright post with projecting arm from which the bodies of criminals were hung in chains or irons after execution" [OED].