Flagell

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A whip-like instrument used for punishment or religious rituals
2. To punish or chastise through the act of beating with a whip or similar tool
3. A term describing the action of striking or lashing as a means of discipline or control

Etymology: "Flagell" is not a standalone English word. It is the stem of "flagellum," "flagellate," and "flagellation," all built on the Latin "flagellum," meaning "little whip" or "scourge." That Latin noun is a diminutive of "flagrum," a whip, and the verb "flagellare," to whip. The origin of "flagrum" itself is uncertain. The most surprising twist is that the same Latin word now names a whip-like tail on microscopic organisms. Early microscopists saw the thin, lashing tails of bacteria and protozoa and borrowed the classical term for a whip. Biologists still use "flagellum" for these structures, so the whip that once punished bodies now propels single cells through water.

Synonyms: whip, lash, flog, beat, thrash