iron maiden
noun
a medieval instrument of torture fashioned as a box in the shape of a woman, large enough to hold a human being, and studded with sharp spikes on the inside.
Also called
iron maiden of Nuremberg.
Origin of iron maiden
1890–95; translation of German
eiserne Jungfrau
Words nearby iron maiden
iron guard,
iron hand,
iron horse,
iron law of wages,
iron lung,
iron maiden,
iron man,
iron meteorite,
iron mold,
iron out,
iron pan
British Dictionary definitions for iron maiden
iron maiden
noun
a medieval instrument of torture, consisting of a hinged case (often shaped in the form of a woman) lined with iron spikes, which was forcibly closed on the victim