To execute someone by nailing them to a cross; also figuratively means to criticize someone severely or treat them with extreme cruelty.
From Latin 'crucifigere' (to fasten to a cross), from 'crux' (cross) and 'figere' (to fix). The word entered English through religious texts describing Jesus's death, then extended to mean severe criticism.
Crucifixion was considered so brutal and shameful by Romans that Roman citizens couldn't legally be crucified—it was reserved for slaves and rebels, which is why Jesus's crucifixion was such an extreme form of execution.
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