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

Words related to gibbet

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

How to use gibbet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gibbet

gibbet
/ (ˈdʒɪbɪt) /
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
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