to lapidate
- verb
- /ˈlæpɪˌdeɪt/
- Offensive
- In some historical accounts, traitors were lapidated as a public spectacle.
Examples
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The community refused to lapidate the accused, despite pressure from outside authorities.
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The ancient law permitted a mob to lapidate those convicted of adultery.
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They decided to lapidate the traitor publicly.
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The crowd lapidated the accused thief without mercy.
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The villagers decided to lapidate the criminal as punishment for his actions.
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In her novel, the author described an ancient practice where those found guilty were lapidated by the community.
-
The news report detailed how the mob threatened to lapidate anyone who spoke out against their leader.
Synonyms
To kill someone by throwing rocks at them
Antonyms
How Violent
- Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
lapidate = lapis (opaque) = lapid + ate
The combining form 'lapid-' (meaning 'stone') is not a standalone English root and is unfamiliar to average learners, so the verb formed with '-ate' is not transparently derived.
Etymology
The word lapidate comes from the Latin lapis, 'stone', and in history it named the brutal punishment where people were killed by thrown stones. So, to lapidate can mean to kill someone by stoning.