noun pl. pillories
- a device consisting of a wooden board with holes for the head and hands, in which petty offenders were formerly locked and exposed to public scorn
- any exposure to public scorn, etc.
Origin:
ME pilory < OFr pilori < ML pilorium < L pila, column + -orium, -ory
transitive verb pilloried, pillorying
- to punish by placing in a pillory
- to lay open to public ridicule, scorn, or abuse