strappado

noun

a form of torture in which the hands are tied behind a person's back and they are lifted off the ground by a rope tied to their wrists, then allowed to drop until their fall is checked with a jerk by the rope

Roots

strapparestrapp- · Italian · to pull ata-ado · Italian · action noun

Synonyms & related words for strappado

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Words related to strappado

Explore words related to strappado — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include torture, excruciate, untortured, torturesome, torturous, overrack, torturer, patibulary. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does strappado come from?

The word strappado breaks down into 2 roots of Italian origin: strapp, from Italian strappare (“to pull”); and -ado, from Italian ata (“action noun”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.