Impales

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpeɪlz/

Definitions

1. To stab or thrust a sharp object through something, rendering it immobilized or fixed, often resulting in serious injury or harm to the entity involved
2. To puncture an object or body using a pointed implement, thereby securing it in place and frequently causing significant damage or suffering
3. Pierces through an object or living thing using a pointed instrument, often causing injury or restraint

Etymology: "Impales" is the third-person singular present form of "impale," so the story belongs to the verb itself. Its core is the Latin "palus," meaning a stake or pole, the same root that gave English "pale" in the sense of a fence post or picket. To impale was originally to fix something on a stake, and that literal picture of a pointed pole driven through a body is still what the verb carries today. The verb came into English by way of Medieval Latin "impālāre," which meant to fence in or to stake, built from "in-" plus "palus." It reached English through Middle French, where the same stake-based sense was kept. The "im-" prefix works as an intensifier and as a marker of putting something inside or onto a point, so the compound reads roughly as "to put on a stake."

Synonyms: pierces, stabs, prods

Antonyms: withdraws, removes