impale
[ im-peyl ]
/ ɪmˈpeɪl /
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.
RELATED WORDS
persecution, suffering, torment, misery, laceration, distress, martyrdom, agony, dolor, twinge, pang, affliction, ache, crucifixion, anguish, rack, tribulation, excruciation, hit, hanging
Nearby words
impactive, impair, impaired, impairment, impala, impale, impalement, impalpable, impanate, impanation, impanel
Also empale (for defs 1–5).
Origin of impale
Related formsim·pal·er, nounim·pale·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for impalement
British Dictionary definitions for impalement
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 Formsimpalement or empalement, nounimpaler or empaler, noun
Word 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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