crucify

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
crucify /ˈkruːsɪfʌɪ/

▶verb (crucifies, crucifying, crucified)

• 1 put (someone) to death by nailing or binding them to a cross.

• 2 criticize or punish severely.

– derivatives
crucifier noun,
crucifixion noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. crucifier, from late L. crucifigere, from L. crux, cruc- ‘cross’ + figere ‘fix’.