gibbet
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to hang on a gibbet.
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to put to death by hanging on a gibbet.
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to hold up to public scorn.
noun
verb
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to put to death by hanging on a gibbet
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to hang (a corpse) on a gibbet
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to expose to public ridicule
Etymology
Origin of gibbet
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French gibet (earlier, staff or cudgel), diminutive of gibe staff, club
Explanation
A gibbet is a structure that's used to execute criminals by hanging them. The execution of someone on a gibbet is an old-fashioned practice. You can use the word gibbet to mean "gallows," or "public execution structure," and it can also be a verb, meaning to hang a person on one. Back in the days when executioners would routinely gibbet criminals in the public square, the bodies were often left on display — possibly to intimidate other potential criminals. The word gibbet has its root in the Old French gibet, "bent stick or gallows," from gibe, or "club."
Vocabulary lists containing gibbet
The Crucible
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"A Modest Proposal," Vocabulary from the satire
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It fell down, I was nearby and I felt it was important," said Mr Haddock, whose offices sit opposite the gibbet site.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2014
Generations of school children across Halifax are taught the history of its gibbet but a few years ago it fell over due to rot.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2014
Thereby, dead and dangling from its gibbet, hangs a tale.
From Time Magazine Archive
The rig looked like a gibbet, nailed to the white railing fence of the newly opened Branchdale Racing Park near Holly Hill.
From Time Magazine Archive
Under the low red glare of sunset, the beacon, and the gibbet, and the mound of the Battery, and the opposite shore of the river, were plain, though all of a watery lead colour.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
