stocks

Noun

1.

stocks - a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the neck and hands; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn Synonyms: pillory

STOCKS, crim. law. A machine commonly made of wood, with boles in it, in which to confine persons accused of or guilty of a crime.
     2. It was used either to confine unruly offenders by way of security, or convicted criminals for punishment.
     3. This barbarous punishment has been generally abandoned in the United States.

instrument of punishment, pillory