cat-o'-nine-tails
[ kat-uh-nahyn-teylz ]
/ ˌkæt əˈnaɪnˌteɪlz /
noun, plural cat-o'-nine-tails.
a whip, usually having nine knotted lines or cords fastened to a handle, used for flogging.
Origin of cat-o'-nine-tails
First recorded in 1685–95; so called in allusion to a cat's scratches
Words nearby cat-o'-nine-tails
cat-cry syndrome,
cat-eyed,
cat-foot,
cat-harpin,
cat-o'-mountain,
cat-o'-nine-tails,
cat-scratch disease,
cat-scratch fever,
cat-tail,
cat-train,
cat.
British Dictionary definitions for cat-o'-nine-tails
cat-o'-nine-tails
noun plural -tails
a rope whip consisting of nine knotted thongs, used formerly to flog prisoners
Often shortened to: cat