GIBBET

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 10 June 2011

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GIBBET  (v. -BETED, -BETING, -BETS or -BETTED, -BETTING, -BETS)

Definition(s):

1. (v.) to execute by hanging
2. (v.) to expose to public infamy or scorn
3. (n.) a gallows
4. (n.) an upright post from which the bodies of criminals were hung in chains after execution
5. (n.) the projecting arm of a crane

Useful information for game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions:  FLIBBERTI-, -ED, -ING, -TED, -TING
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:
GIBBET comes from an Old French word meaning “gallows.”  More interesting, though you’re unlikely to ever see it on a Scrabble board, is the sesquipedalian FLIBBERTIGIBBET, a delightful old word meaning “a flighty, light-minded, or overly talkative person.”  Imitative of mindless chatter, the word appeared in print at least as early as the mid-16th century.

Recapping this week’s words:
GRACIOSO, GALYAK, GREMMIE, GYRUS, and GIBBET

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