• Lapidate

    Pronunciation

    • US IPA: /ˈlæpɪˌdeɪt/

    Origin

    From Latin lapidātus, past participle of lapidō ("throw stones at"), from lapis ("stone")

    Full definition of lapidate

    Verb

    1. (transitive, legal) to throw stones or other objects at, sometimes to death, as punishment.
      • 1932, Feb 1, Jiggs & Maggie, the host (in tailcoat, grey cravat, purple vest) is lapidated by his wife while he loudly cries: "Maggie—please save a cup fer coffee in the morning."
      • 2003, Aug 17, On August 27, 2002, a Nigerian court ordered the mother of a newborn child, Amina Lawal, to be publicly lapidated for adultery.
    2. (transitive) To hurl insults at
      • 1959, Jan 26, Top of the Week, The hour-long (and far too slow-paced) show: Malice in Wonderland, by lampooning, lapidating S. J. Perelman, veteran of movie-writing stints

    Synonyms

    • (throw stones to death) stone
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