Warning
Info
Warning
Info
Simple English definitions for legal terms
gibbet
Read a random definition: cross-suit
A quick definition of gibbet:
A gibbet is a tall post with a horizontal arm at the top. In the past, criminals were hanged from the arm as a punishment for their crimes. Sometimes, after the criminal was executed, their body was left hanging from the gibbet as a warning to others. A double gibbet has two arms extending from the top, making it look like a capital "T."
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: A gibbet is a post with one arm extending from the top, used historically for executing criminals by hanging or suspending their bodies after death as a warning to others. It is a type of gallows. A double gibbet has two arms extending from the top, resembling a capital "T."
- In medieval times, a gibbet was often used to publicly execute criminals.
- The infamous pirate Blackbeard was beheaded and his head was hung from a gibbet in Virginia as a warning to other pirates.
- A double gibbet was erected in the town square to display the bodies of two convicted murderers.
The examples illustrate how a gibbet was used historically as a form of punishment and as a warning to others. The use of a gibbet was meant to deter others from committing crimes by displaying the consequences of their actions in a public and gruesome manner.