Meanings
flagellation1
plural flagellations
- countableuncountableBeating, or an instance of beating, consisting of lashes, notably as corporal punishment or mortification, such as a whipping or scourging.
As a means of restoring vigor to the generative organs, flagellation was recommended by the ancient physicians as an effectual remedy, in accordance with the Hippocratic principle of ubi stimulus, ibi affluxus.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 42
flagellation2
plural flagellations
- biologyThe formation by plants of flagella, or their arrangement
Synonyms & antonyms
nounbeating with a whip or strap or rope as a form of punishment
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
flagellation · noun
- Latinflagellatio
- Frenchflagellation
- Englishflagellation
From French flagellation, from Latin flagellatio, from flagellare, from flagellum, diminutive of flagrum (“whip”).
Full word history & related roots →flagellation · noun
- Latinflagrum“whip”
- Englishflagellation
From flagellum (“elongated filiform appendage”), itself a diminutive of Latin flagrum (“whip”), closely related to etymology 1.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish flagelación
- flagelaciónTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with flagellation
Cite this entry
flagellation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flagellation
“flagellation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flagellation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flagellation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flagellation.
Source: flagellation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.