impale

[ im-peyl ]
See synonyms for: impaleimpaledimpalement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),im·paled, im·pal·ing.
  1. to fasten, stick, or fix upon a sharpened stake or the like.

  2. to pierce with a sharpened stake thrust up through the body, as for torture or punishment.

  1. to fix upon, or pierce through with, anything pointed.

  2. to make helpless as if pierced through.

  3. Archaic. to enclose with or as if with pales or stakes; fence in; hem in.

  4. Heraldry.

    • to marshal (two coats of arms, as the family arms of a husband and wife) on an escutcheon party per pale.

    • (of a coat of arms) to be combined with (another coat of arms) in this way.

Origin of impale

1
1545–55; <Medieval Latin impālāre, equivalent to Latin im-im-1 + pāl(us) pale2 + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending

Other words from impale

  • im·pal·er, noun
  • im·pale·ment, noun

Words Nearby impale

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use impale in a sentence

  • When a company lives by the icon, it can, at the very least, impale itself on the icon.

    Steve Jobs' Messiah Complex | Eric Dezenhall | January 15, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • It squealed, shrill with triumph, and the horn swept up to impale him.

    Space Prison | Tom Godwin
  • The infuriated bull was fast nearing him, with head lowered, and horns set to crush or impale him.

    The Vee-Boers | Mayne Reid
  • "I don't care to listen to your offensive utterances," she said, gazing at him as if to impale him with her glance.

  • David took out his penknife and proceeded to impale his cigar upon the blade thereof.

    David Harum | Edward Noyes Westcott
  • The elephants trumpeted shrilly; and while some tried to charge it and impale it on their tusks, others stampeded.

    Life in an Indian Outpost | Gordon Casserly

British Dictionary definitions for impale

impale

empale

/ (ɪmˈpeɪl) /


verb(tr)
  1. (often foll by on, upon, or with) to pierce with a sharp instrument: they impaled his severed head on a spear

  2. archaic to enclose with pales or fencing; fence in

  1. heraldry to charge (a shield) with two coats of arms placed side by side

Origin of impale

1
C16: from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin im- (in) + pālus pale ²

Derived forms of impale

  • impalement or empalement, noun
  • impaler or empaler, noun

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