gibbet

[ jib-it ]
See synonyms for: gibbetgibbetedgibbeting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.
  1. to hang on a gibbet.

  2. to put to death by hanging on a gibbet.

  1. to hold up to public scorn.

Origin of gibbet

1
1175–1225; Middle English <Old French gibet (earlier, staff or cudgel), diminutive of gibe staff, club

Words Nearby gibbet

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

How to use gibbet in a sentence

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)
  1. to put to death by hanging on a gibbet

  2. to hang (a corpse) on a gibbet

  1. to expose to public ridicule

Origin of gibbet

1
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