strappado
noun pl. strappadoes
- a former kind of torture in which the victim was lifted in the air by a rope fastened to the wrists, then suddenly dropped part way to the ground
- the instrument used in this torture
See strappado in American Heritage Dictionary 4
strap·pa·do
noun pl. strappadoes strap·pa·does - A form of torture in which the victim is lifted off the ground by a rope attached to the wrists, which have been tied behind the back, and then is dropped partway to the ground with a jerk.
- The apparatus employed in this method of torture.
Origin: Alteration of French strapade, from Old French, from Old Italian strappata, from strappare, to stretch tight, of Germanic origin.
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