crucify

English

Etymology

From Middle English crucifien, from Old French crucefier, from Late Latin crucificō, from Latin crucifigō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹuːsɪfaɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

Verb

crucify (third-person singular simple present crucifies, present participle crucifying, simple past and past participle crucified) (transitive)

1. To execute (a person) by nailing to a cross.
2. (hyperbolic) To punish or otherwise express extreme anger at, especially as a scapegoat or target of outrage.

   After his public gaffe, he was crucified in the media.

   • 1896 July 9, William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold speech:

     Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

   • 1992, Tori Amos (lyrics and music), “Crucify”:

     I crucify myself, nothing I do is good enough for you / I crucify myself every day

3. (hyperbolic, informal, sports) To thoroughly beat at a sport or game.

   West Ham beat Manchester City five nil–they crucified them!

Derived terms

• crucifiable
• decrucify
• recrucify

 

Related terms

• cross
• crucifix
• crucifixion
• crucifixional
• crux

Translations

to execute a person by nailing to a cross

• Arabic: صَلَبَ (ṣalaba), صَلَّبَ (ṣallaba)
• Armenian: խաչել (hy) (xačʻel)
• Bulgarian: разпъвам на кръст (razpǎvam na krǎst)
• Catalan: crucificar (ca)
• Czech: ukřižovat
• Danish: korsfæste
• Dutch: kruisigen (nl)
• Esperanto: krucumi (eo)
• Finnish: ristiinnaulita (fi)
• French: crucifier (fr)
• Galician: crucificar (gl)
• German: kreuzigen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hramjan)
• Greek: σταυρώνω (el) (stavróno)

  Ancient: σταυρόω (stauróō)

• Hebrew: צָלַב (he)
• Hungarian: keresztre feszít (hu)
• Icelandic: krossfesta
• Ido: krucagar (io)
• Italian: crocifiggere (it), crocefiggere
• Ladino: kruçificar, kruzificar
• Latin: crucifīgō
• Malay: menyalib
• Malayalam: ക്രൂശിക്കുക (ml) (krūśikkuka)
• Maori: rīpeka
• Middle English: crucifien
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: korsfeste (no)

  Nynorsk: korsfeste

• Old English: rōdfæstnian, āhōn
• Ottoman Turkish: خاچلامق (haçlamak)
• Plautdietsch: kjriezjen
• Polish: ukrzyżować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: crucificar (pt)
• Quechua: chakatay
• Romanian: crucifica (ro), răstigni (ro)
• Russian: распя́ть (ru) pf (raspjátʹ), распина́ть (ru) impf (raspinátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: ceus
• Spanish: crucificar (es)
• Swedish: korsfästa (sv)
• Tyap: team (kcg)
• Turkish: haçlamak (tr), çarmıha germek (tr)
• Welsh: croeshoelio (cy)
• Yiddish: קרייציקן (kreytsikn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} krucumi (eo)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} križati