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Glite Dictionary
ducking stool

ducking stool

1 9.9
A chair on a lever used to dunk people in water as public punishment in the past
  • noun
  • /ˈdʌkɪŋ stuːl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : silla de sumergir
  • The historical records detail how the ducking stool was employed as a method of punishment, immersing wrongdoers in water to shame them publicly.

Examples

  • Just make your public confession, a couple of hours on the ducking stool, - sack cloth and ashes for a month.

    Desecration (1999)

  • The village once used a ducking stool to punish those accused of witchcraft by submerging them in water.

  • In the past, public offenders would often be subjected to the humiliation of a ducking stool, which was known for plunging them into a river.

Synonyms

cucking stool
vsducking stool
  • Archaic
9.9

A chair that ties a person and dips them in water as a public punishment

uses a lever to lower the chair and plunge offenders into water

Antonyms

to reward
328 1.3

To give something to someone to thank them for doing something good

Surface Forms

ducking stool singular
ducking stools plural

Morphology

duck + stool

The compound is literally built from 'ducking' (dipping or plunging into liquid) + 'stool' (a single-person seat), so its meaning — a seat used to duck somebody into water — is directly derivable from the constituents. Although the item is historical/rare, the gerund+noun composition is transparent and a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Ducking stool comes from a cruel old punishment where a chair, a stool, on a lever was used for ducking someone into the water. So the name refers to a device used to punish and shame someone in public.