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impale

[ im-peyl ]
/ ÉŖmĖˆpeÉŖl /
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See synonyms for: impale / impaled / impalement on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), imĀ·paled, imĀ·palĀ·ing.
to fasten, stick, or fix upon a sharpened stake or the like.
to pierce with a sharpened stake thrust up through the body, as for torture or punishment.
to fix upon, or pierce through with, anything pointed.
to make helpless as if pierced through.
Archaic. to enclose with or as if with pales or stakes; fence in; hem in.
Heraldry.
  1. to marshal (two coats of arms, as the family arms of a husband and wife) on an escutcheon party per pale.
  2. (of a coat of arms) to be combined with (another coat of arms) in this way.
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Also empale (for defs. 1-5).

Origin of impale

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

OTHER WORDS FROM impale

imĀ·palĀ·er, nounimĀ·paleĀ·ment, noun

Words nearby impale

impact zone, impair, impaired, impairment, impala, impale, impalpable, impanation, impanel, impar, imparadise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to impale

prick, transfix, lance, perforate, pierce, punch, puncture, skewer, spear, spike, stick, run through, skiver

How to use impale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impale

impale

empale

/ (ÉŖmĖˆpeÉŖl) /
verb (tr)
(often foll by on, upon, or with) to pierce with a sharp instrumentthey impaled his severed head on a spear
archaic to enclose with pales or fencing; fence in
heraldry to charge (a shield) with two coats of arms placed side by side

Derived forms of impale

impalement or empalement, nounimpaler or empaler, noun

Word Origin for impale

C16: from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin im- (in) + pālus pale Ā²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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