strappado
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
strappado /straˈpɑːdəʊ, -ˈpeɪdəʊ/
▶noun (pl. strappados) historical a form of punishment or torture in which the victim was secured to a rope and made to fall from a height almost to the ground before being stopped with an abrupt jerk.
■ the instrument used for this.
– origin C16: from Fr. (e)strapade, from Ital. strappata, from strappare ‘to snatch’.
'strappado' also found in these Oxford entries:
