impale
[ im-peyl ]
/ ɪmˈpeɪl /
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verb (used with object), im·paled, im·pal·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.
- 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.
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Also empale (for defs. 1-5).
Origin of impale
OTHER WORDS FROM impale
im·pal·er, nounim·pale·ment, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use impale in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for impale
impale
empale
/ (ɪmˈpeɪl) /
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, nounWord Origin for impale
C16: from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin im- (in) + pālus pale ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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