knout

[nout]

See more synonyms for knout on Thesaurus.com

noun

a whip with a lash of leather thongs, formerly used in Russia for flogging criminals.

verb (used with object)

to flog with the knout.

Origin of knout

1710–20; < French < Russian knut, Old Russian < Old Norse knūtr knot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for knout

cane, bat, prod, scourge, ruler, thong, rod, goad, crop, strap, push, switch, lash, belt, knout, horsewhip, rawhide, birch, bullwhip

Examples from the Web for knout

Historical Examples of knout

It was not inhumanity, but fear of the knout that hurried him away.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home
Bayard Taylor
Chancellor Bestuchef, in the year 1756, was forced to confession by the knout.
The Life and Adventures of Baron Trenck
Baron Trenck
Will you swear to that, or shall I work the knout in order to bring out the truth?
The Boy Nihilist
Allan Arnold
Then he swings the knout anew, with the same accuracy and the same result.
The Daughter of an Empress
Louise Muhlbach
The knout—the knout—and that attended with public exposure in the market-place.
The Pacha of Many Tales
Frederick Marryat

British Dictionary definitions for knout

knout

noun

a stout whip used formerly in Russia as an instrument of punishment

Word Origin for knout

C17: from Russian knut, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse knūtr knot

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