Garrotted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Killed or severely injured by choking with a tightened cord or wire
2. Suffocated by constricting the neck with a ligature such as a wire or cord
3. Strangled by applying force to the throat using a cord or wire to cut off breathing

Etymology: "Garrotted" is the past tense and past participle of "garrotte," a verb meaning to kill by strangling with a wire or cord, usually with a tightening device. The verb itself derives from the Spanish "garrote," a noun referring to a stick or cudgel, and a Spanish method of execution developed from that tool. The Spanish garrote was a method of execution in which a condemned prisoner was seated against a post and killed by a metal collar tightened around the neck, often by a screw. Over time the same name came to describe the wire or cord used in such killings, and English speakers borrowed the word to describe the act. The spelling with a double "t" in "garrotte" reflects an English convention, and "garrotted" follows the usual rule of doubling the final consonant before the past-tense ending.

Synonyms: strangled, choked, suffocated, throttled, hanged