/ · 1736 Universal Etymological English Dictionary · k · Kyphonism
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Kyphonism
Kyphonism [of
κyζονι (Greek) a piece of
wood whereon criminals were stretch’d and tormented] it was thus, the body of the person to be tormented was anointed with
honey, and exposed to the sun, in order to attract the flies and wasps, it was
for a certain number of days, and some authors say, sometimes for twenty.
Sometimes the person was stretched on the ground, with his arms ty’d behind him;
sometimes only ty’d to a stake; sometimes hung up in the air in a basket. This
punishment has been frequently inflicted on the martyrs in the primitive times.
Definition taken from
The Universal Etymological English Dictionary,
edited by Nathan Bailey (1736)
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