| / English Dictionary |
INSTRUMENT OF PUNISHMENT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An instrument designed and used to punish a condemned person
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("instrument of punishment" is a kind of...):
instrument (a device that requires skill for proper use)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "instrument of punishment"):
cangue (an instrument of punishment formerly used in China for petty criminals; consists of a heavy wooden collar enclosing the neck and arms)
cucking stool; ducking stool (an instrument of punishment consisting of a chair in which offenders were ducked in water)
instrument of torture (an instrument of punishment designed and used to inflict torture on the condemned person)
paddle (an instrument of punishment consisting of a flat board)
pillory (a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the wrists and neck; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn)
stocks (a former instrument of punishment consisting of a heavy timber frame with holes in which the feet (and sometimes the hands) of an offender could be locked)
switch (a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment)
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