impalement

English
Demonstrations of impalement. The one on the right shows how the result could be unrecognizable (hence quartering became preferred).

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle French empalement;[1] equivalent to impale +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun
Gardenia flower projecting from the impalement of its enclosing calyx

impalement (countable and uncountable, plural impalements)

  1. The act of torturing or executing someone by impaling them on a sharp stake.
  2. (heraldry) The joining of two coats of arms on one shield.
  3. A space fenced in, such as by palings, possibly in the form of an enclosure or cup.
  4. (botany, obsolete) In the sense of an enclosure, the calyx of a flower. (In still older works, also spelt empalement.)
    • 1823, Charles Mead, The School Exercise:
      The parts of fructification are seven in number... The First part is the calyx, impalement, or flower cup.

Translations

References
  1. “impalement, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.