impale
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- empale (obsolete)
Etymology edit
From Middle French, from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin palus, whence also pale.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
impale (third-person singular simple present impales, present participle impaling, simple past and past participle impaled)
- (transitive) To pierce (something) with any long, pointed object.
- (transitive, heraldry) To place two coats of arms side by side on the same shield (often those of two spouses upon marriage).
- (transitive, intransitive) To pierce with a pale; to put to death by fixing on a sharp stake.
- (transitive, intransitive) To enclose or fence with stakes.
- 1624, John Smith, “The Present Estate of New-Plimoth”, in John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, →OCLC, book 6; republished as The Generall Historie of Virginia, [...], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Edward Blackmore, 1632, →OCLC, page 247:
- [T]he Towne is impailed about halfe a mile compaſſe.
Synonyms edit
- (pierce something with any long, pointed object): fix, stake, stick, run through, transfix
- (enclose or fence with stakes): pale, palisade, picket
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
put to death by piercing with a pale
|
pierce something with any long, pointed object
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.