impale. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

impale

SYLLABICATION:	im·pale
PRONUNCIATION:	m-pl
VARIANT FORMS:	also em·pale (m-)
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: im·paled, im·pal·ing, im·pales 1a. To pierce with a sharp stake or point. b. To torture or kill by impaling. 2. To render helpless as if by impaling.
ETYMOLOGY:	Medieval Latin implre : Latin in-, in; see in–² + Latin plus, stake; see pag- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	im·palement —NOUN im·paler —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.