Pillory
Pil´lo`ry
| n. | 1. | A frame of adjustable boards erected on a post, and having holes through which the head and hands of an offender were thrust so as to be exposed in front of it. |
| v. t. | 1. | To set in, or punish with, the pillory. |
| 2. | Figuratively, to expose to public scorn. |
| Noun | 1. |  pillory - a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the neck and hands; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scornSynonyms: stocks |
| Verb | 1. | pillory - expose to ridicule or public scorn Synonyms: gibbet |
| 2. | pillory - punish by putting in a pillory | |
| 3. | pillory - criticize harshly or violently; "The press savaged the new President"; "The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage" |
PILLORY, punishment. wooden machine in which the neck of the culprit is
inserted.
2. This punishment has been superseded by the adoption of the
penitentiary system in most of the states. Vide 1 Chit. Cr. Law, 797. The
punishment of standing in the pillory, so far as the same was provided by
the laws of the United States, was abolished by the act of congress of
February 27, 1839, s. 5. See Baxr. on the Stat. 48, note.