crux simplex

noun

A single beam or pole without a cross bar for executions.

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Meanings

nouncrux simplex (plural cruces simplices)

plural cruces simplices

  1. A single beam or pole without a cross bar for executions.
  2. historicalThe simple pole or stake with which in the Roman Empire common criminals were executed either by being impaled with it or being attached to it, typically with the feet resting on a block to avoid a rapid death by asphyxia and using, for economy, only one nail through the hands (below the palm).

Origin

Unadapted borrowing from Latin; specifically, Medieval Latin, as this collocation to name the pole used by the ancient Romans comes from Justus Lipsius (1547–1606) rather than from their own use of Latin (Classical Latin).

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Cite this entry
APA

crux simplex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crux%20simplex

MLA

“crux simplex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crux%20simplex. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crux simplex,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crux%20simplex.

Source: crux simplex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.