garrote
UK[ɡəˈrɒt]US[ɡəˈrɑːt]
v
To kill or execute someone by strangling them, typically with a wire or cord.
n
A wire, cord, or other device used for strangling a person.
Etymology
The word 'garrote' entered English in the 17th century from the Spanish 'garrote', which referred to a cudgel or stick used for tightening a cord in a strangulation device. The Spanish term itself is of uncertain origin, but it is often suggested to derive from the Old French 'garrot', meaning a cudgel or stick, which possibly came from a Celtic source. The method of execution and the instrument's name became synonymous. In English, the meaning narrowed specifically to the act of strangulation or the ligature used for it, evolving from a general term for a bludgeon to a precise tool and method of killing.
Analysis
The word is a loanword from Spanish, adopted as a single lexical unit. Its spelling and form are treated as simplex in English.
Examples
The spy was trained to silently garrote an enemy sentry.
The assassin's weapon of choice was a simple piano wire garrote.
Historical accounts describe the use of the garrote as a form of capital punishment.