What does pillory mean?

Definitions for pillory
ˈpɪl ə ripil·lo·ry

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pillory.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. pillorynoun

    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

  2. pillory, gibbetverb

    expose to ridicule or public scorn

  3. pilloryverb

    punish by putting in a pillory

  4. savage, blast, pillory, crucifyverb

    criticize harshly or violently

    "The press savaged the new President"; "The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage"

Wiktionary

  1. pillorynoun

    A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.

  2. pilloryverb

    To put in a pillory.

  3. pilloryverb

    To subject to humiliation, scorn, ridicule or abuse.

  4. pilloryverb

    To criticize harshly.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Pillorynoun

    A frame erected on a pillar, and made with holes and folding boards, through which the heads and hands of criminals are put.

    Etymology: pillori, Fr. pillorium, low Latin.

    I have stood on the pillory for the geese he hath killed. William Shakespeare.

    As thick as eggs at Ward in pillory. Alexander Pope.

    The jeers of a theatre, the pillory and the whipping-post are very near a-kin. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind.

  2. To Pilloryverb

    To punish with the pillory.

    Etymology: pillorier, Fr. from the noun.

    To be burnt in the hand or pillored, is a more lasting reproach than to be scourged or confin’d. Gov. of the Tongue.

Wikipedia

  1. Pillory

    The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Pillorynoun

    a frame of adjustable boards erected on a post, and having holes through which the head and hands of an offender were thrust so as to be exposed in front of it

  2. Pilloryverb

    to set in, or punish with, the pillory

  3. Pilloryverb

    figuratively, to expose to public scorn

  4. Etymology: [F. pilori; cf. Pr. espitlori, LL. piloricum, pilloricum, pellericum, pellorium, pilorium, spilorium; perhaps from a derivative of L. speculari to look around, observe. Cf. Speculate.]

Wikidata

  1. Pillory

    The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal. The pillory is related to the stocks. The word is documented in English since 1274, and stems from Old French pellori, itself from medieval Latin pilloria, of uncertain origin, perhaps a diminutive of Latin pila "pillar, stone barrier."

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Pillory

    an obsolete instrument of punishment for centuries in use all over Europe, consisted of a platform, an upright pole, and at a convenient height cross-boards with holes, in which the culprit's neck and wrists were placed and fastened; so fixed he was exposed in some public place to the insults and noxious missiles of the mob. Formerly in England the penalty of forgery, perjury, &c., it became after the Commonwealth a favourite punishment for seditious libellers. It was last inflicted in London in 1830, and was abolished by law in 1837.

Suggested Resources

  1. pillory

    Song lyrics by pillory -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by pillory on the Lyrics.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of pillory in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of pillory in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for pillory

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"pillory." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/pillory>.

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