pillory

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɪləɹi/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,^[2][3] from Old French pilori,^{[2][4][5][3][6]} related to Medieval Latin pilorium,^[4][5][6] of uncertain origin.^[4][5] It is perhaps from Latin pīla (“pillar”),^[2][5][6] though the OED finds this phonologically unsuitable.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A wooden frame on a post with holes for the head and hands, used to punish offenders (before 1189 in Anglo-Latin;^[7][5] 1275 in English).^[4]

Semantic evolution

The verb, “to set in the pillory”, dates from about 1600,^[4][5][3][7] and the figurative sense of exposing someone to public ridicule or abuse from the 1690s.^[5][7]

Timeline

• before 1189 – in Anglo-Latin.^[7][5]
• 1257–58 – as a surname.^[4]
• 1275 – the pillory.^[4]
• about 1600 – verb, to punish in the pillory.^[4][5][3][7]
• 1699 – to expose to public ridicule.^[7][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A wooden frame on a post with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were locked to be exposed to public scorn.
2. A means of exposing someone to public scorn.

Verb

1. To expose someone to public ridicule or abuse; to criticize harshly.
2. To punish someone in a pillory.

Related words

• stocks
• pillar

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press