strappado

[ struh-pey-doh, -pah- ]

/ strəˈpeɪ doʊ, -ˈpɑ- /

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.

Nearby words

strap-oil, straphang, straphanger, strapless, strapline, strappado, strapped, strapped for, strapper, strapping, strappy

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

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

Examples from the Web for strappado

I'd strappado you and then hang you within the next half-hour.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
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
No; were I at the strappado, or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on compulsion.
The Universal Reciter|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

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

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