strappado

[ struh-pey-doh, -pah- ]

/ strəˈpeɪ doʊ, -ˈpɑ- /

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noun, plural strap·pa·does.

an old form of punishment or torture in which the victim, with arms bound behind, was raised from the ground by a rope fastened to the wrists, abruptly released, then arrested with a painful jerk just before reaching the ground.

the instrument used for this purpose.

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Origin of strappado

1550–60; alteration of Middle French strapade or its source, Italian strappata a sharp pull or tug, equivalent to strapp- (stem of strappare to snatch (<Gothic strappan to stretch) + -ata-ade¹

Words nearby strappado

strap-hinge, strap-laid, strapless, strapline, strap-oil, strappado, strapped, strapped for, strapper, strapping, strappy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use strappado in a sentence

After a smart administration of the strappado, he proceeded to examine the contents of his pinafore, which was bundled round him.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
I did hear that, as this raid of some privates interfered with the Dutch general's diet, one of the offenders got the strappado.
Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker|S. Weir Mitchell
I'd strappado you and then hang you within the next half-hour.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
Nay, rather the strappado for me, at any time, than abandonment to foolishness so crass as this would be.
The Record of Nicholas Freydon|A. J. (Alec John) Dawson

If I die, let my boy Robin have the strappado, three hours a day, to be duly paid him during life.
The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas|Dom Francisco de Quevedo

British Dictionary definitions for strappado

strappado

/ (strəˈpeɪdəʊ, -ˈpɑː-) /

noun plural -does

a system of torture in which a victim was hoisted by a rope tied to his wrists and then allowed to drop until his fall was suddenly checked by the rope

Word Origin for strappado

C16: from French strapade, from Italian strappare to tug sharply, probably of Germanic origin; related to German (dialect) strapfen to make taut

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