garroter
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gar·rote
or gar·rotte (gə-rŏt′, -rōt′)n.
1.
a. A method of execution formerly practiced in Spain, in which a tightened iron collar is used to strangle or break the neck of a condemned person.
b. The iron collar used for such an execution.
2.
a. Strangulation, especially in order to rob.
b. A cord or wire used for strangling.
tr.v. gar·rot·ed, gar·rot·ing, gar·rotes or gar·rot·ted or gar·rot·ting or gar·rottes
1. To execute by garrote.
2. To strangle in order to rob.
[Spanish, cudgel, instrument of torture, possibly from Old French garrot, perhaps from garoquier, to struggle.]
gar·rot′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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