English
impalement
Impalement comes from Middle French empalement.
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600empalement
- Englishearliest quotation 1823impalement
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600empalement
- Englishearliest quotation 1823impalement
Earliest quotation: 1823, Charles Mead: “The parts of fructification are seven in number... The…”
Every English word from Middle French empalement
Today it means
noun The act of torturing or executing someone by impaling them on a sharp stake.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle French empalement / impalement