pillory

[pil-uh-ree]

noun, plural pil·lo·ries.

a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision.

verb (used with object), pil·lo·ried, pil·lo·ry·ing.

to set in the pillory.

to expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse: The candidate mercilessly pilloried his opponent.

Origin of pillory

1225–75; Middle English pyllory < Old French pilori, perhaps < Medieval Latin pīlōrium, equivalent to Latin pīl(a) pillar (see pile¹) + -ōrium -ory², though Romance variants such as Provençal espillori suggest a less transparent source

Related formsun·pil·lo·ried, adjective

Can be confusedpillar pillory pillow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pilloried

Contemporary Examples of pilloried

He attacked the status quo and he pilloried the powers that be.
Why George Carlin Deserves His Own Street
Kevin Bartini
October 21, 2014
A month ago it looked like the NFL might at last be pilloried for its culture of violence and big money.
How the Media Failed to Nail the NFL
Steve Almond
October 19, 2014
Pierre Casiraghi, third in the line to the Monaco throne, got punched in a nightclub last year—and pilloried in the press.
Royal Showdown in New York Court
Lizzie Crocker
February 4, 2013
The prime minister at the time, Tomiichi Murayama, was pilloried for what many complained was a slow response by his government.
Will Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan Stay in Power?
Lennox Samuels, Takashi Yokota
March 14, 2011
Every administration feels besieged at times, pilloried by the press, misunderstood by the public.
White House Goes Into Bunker Mode
Howard Kurtz
October 24, 2010

Historical Examples of pilloried

The others had made haste to withdraw as soon as La Boulaye had been pilloried.
The Trampling of the Lilies
Rafael Sabatini
And more love, or my face is a false witness and deserves to be pilloried.
The Comedies of William Congreve
William Congreve
He resolved not to be pilloried beside her on her pedestal of shame.
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Oates was sentenced to be whipped and pilloried with the utmost severity.
The Diary of John Evelyn, Volume II (of 2)
John Evelyn
He was pilloried and imprisoned, and his books burnt by the hangman.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology
Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for pilloried

pillory

noun plural -ries

a wooden framework into which offenders were formerly locked by the neck and wrists and exposed to public abuse and ridicule

exposure to public scorn or abuse

verb -ries, -rying or -ried (tr)

to expose to public scorn or ridicule

to punish by putting in a pillory

Word Origin for pillory

C13: from Anglo-Latin pillorium, from Old French pilori, of uncertain origin; related to Provençal espillori

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

Word Origin and History for pilloried

pillory

late 13c. (attested in Anglo-Latin from late 12c.), from Old French pilori "pillory" (mid-12c.), related to Medieval Latin pilloria, of uncertain origin, perhaps a diminutive of Latin pila "pillar, stone barrier" (see pillar), but OED finds this proposed derivation "phonologically unsuitable."

pillory

c.1600, from pillory (n.). Figurative sense of "expose publicly to ridicule or abuse" is from 1690s. Related: Pilloried.