impale

[ im-peyl ]

verb (used with object)

, im·paled, im·pal·ing.

1. to fasten, stick, or fix upon a sharpened stake or the like.
2. to pierce with a sharpened stake thrust up through the body, as for torture or punishment.
3. to fix upon, or pierce through with, anything pointed.
4. to make helpless as if pierced through.
5. Archaic. to enclose with or as if with pales or stakes; fence in; hem in.
6. Heraldry.
   1. to marshal (two coats of arms, as the family arms of a husband and wife) on an escutcheon party per pale.
   2. (of a coat of arms) to be combined with (another coat of arms) in this way.

impale

/ ɪmˈpeɪl /

verb

1. often foll byon, upon, or with to pierce with a sharp instrument

   they impaled his severed head on a spear

2. archaic.
   to enclose with pales or fencing; fence in
3. heraldry to charge (a shield) with two coats of arms placed side by side

Derived Forms

• imˈpalement, noun
• imˈpaler, noun

Other Words From

• im·paler noun
• im·palement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of impale¹

1545–55; < Medieval Latin impālāre, equivalent to Latin im- im- ¹ + pāl ( us ) pale ² + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending

Word History and Origins

Origin of impale¹

C16: from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin im- (in) + pālus pale ²

Example Sentences

I marveled at the time that the ghost of Pete Seeger, who had turned a couple of traditional gospel songs into the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” didn’t rise from the grave and impale Corker on a lightning bolt.

From Los Angeles Times

Michigan and Wisconsin hold sturgeon spearing seasons each winter as well where anglers drill holes through lake ice and impale sturgeon as they swim past.

From Seattle Times

They used the Union soldiers’ own bayonets to impale the dead and wounded, pinning them to the ground, according to research by Kruse.

From Seattle Times

Teeth in their lower jaw impale the prey first and help anchor the snake as it twists to reach up, over, and around the rodent in preparation for squeezing the life out of it.

From Science Magazine

On Nov. 22, a campaign received texts threatening to “impale” and “disembowel” a candidate.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• prick
• transfix