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.
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
Words nearby strappado
strap-oil,
straphang,
straphanger,
strapless,
strapline,
strappado,
strapped,
strapped for,
strapper,
strapping,
strappy
Example sentences from the Web for strappado
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