iron maiden

noun

1. a medieval instrument of torture fashioned as a box in the shape of a woman, large enough to hold a human being, and studded with sharp spikes on the inside.

iron maiden

noun

1. a medieval instrument of torture, consisting of a hinged case (often shaped in the form of a woman) lined with iron spikes, which was forcibly closed on the victim

Word History and Origins

Origin of iron maiden¹

1890–95; translation of German eiserne Jungfrau