Meanings
nounimpalement (countable and uncountable, plural impalements)
plural impalements · alternative empalement
- countableuncountablegovernmentThe joining of two coats of arms on one shield.
- countableuncountableA space fenced in, such as by palings, possibly in the form of an enclosure or cup.
- countableobsoleteuncountablebiologyIn the sense of an enclosure, the calyx of a flower. (In still older works, also spelt empalement.)
The parts of fructification are seven in number... The First part is the calyx, impalement, or flower cup.
1823, Charles Mead, The School Exercise
Origin
- Middle Frenchempalement
- Englishimpalement
From Middle French empalement; equivalent to impale + -ment.
More words from Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَوزَقَة
- خَوزَقَةact of torturing
Catalan empalament
- empalamentact of torturing
Chinese Mandarin 穿刺, 刺穿
- 穿刺 (chuāncì)act of torturing
- 刺穿 (cìchuān)act of torturing
Esperanto palisumo
- palisumoact of torturing
French empalement
- empalementact of torturing
German Pfählung
- Pfählungact of torturing
Japanese 串刺し
- 串刺し (kushizashi)act of torturing
Norwegian spidding
- spiddingact of torturing
Polish nabicie na pal, nabijanie na pal
- nabicie na palact of torturing
- nabijanie na palact of torturing
- nawlekanie na palact of torturing
Portuguese empalamento
- empalamentoact of torturing
Russian посаже́ние на́ кол
- посаже́ние на́ кол (posažénije ná kol)act of torturing
Spanish empalamiento
- empalamientoact of torturing
Cite this entry
APA
impalement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impalement
MLA
“impalement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impalement. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impalement,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impalement.
Source: impalement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.