pillory

[ pil-uh-ree ]

/ ˈpɪl ə ri /

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.

Nearby words

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

He attacked the status quo and he pilloried the powers that be.
Why George Carlin Deserves His Own Street|Kevin Bartini|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A month ago it looked like the NFL might at last be pilloried for its culture of violence and big money.
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Pierre Casiraghi, third in the line to the Monaco throne, got punched in a nightclub last year—and pilloried in the press.
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The prime minister at the time, Tomiichi Murayama, was pilloried for what many complained was a slow response by his government.
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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|DAILY BEAST
He resolved not to be pilloried beside her on her pedestal of shame.
The Scarlet Letter|Nathaniel Hawthorne
The last occupants, a man and a woman, were pilloried together about 1810, for fortune-telling.
Bygone Punishments|William Andrews
Whomsoever he pilloried was laid bare in all respects; physically and morally, no single trait of him was forgotten.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
It is not pleasant to be pilloried for undreamed-of crimes, and Ardmore's ears tingled.
The Little Brown Jug at Kildare|Meredith Nicholson
This man should be pilloried before all England, and every healthy, clean-minded man in the nation would shudder at his name.
The Day of Judgment|Joseph Hocking

British Dictionary definitions for pilloried

pillory

/ (ˈpɪlərɪ) /

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 (1 of 2)

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."

Word Origin and History for pilloried (1 of 2)

pillory

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