a system of torture in which a victim was hoisted by a rope tied to the wrists and then allowed to drop until the fall was suddenly checked by the rope
Word origin
C16: from French strapade, from Italian strappare to tug sharply, probably of Germanic origin; related to German (dialect) strapfen to make taut
strappado in American English
(strəˈpeɪdoʊ; strəˈpɑdoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralstrapˈpadoes
1.
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
2.
the instrument used in this torture
Word origin
It strappata < strappare, to pull < Gmc, as in Ger dial. (Swiss) strapfen, to pull tight (akin to Ger strafen, to punish) < IE *strep- < base *(s)ter-, stiff > stare