Ganch

/ɡæntʃ/ verb

Definition

To execute someone by impalement on stakes or hooks; historically a form of capital punishment.

Etymology

From Turkish 'gannach' or related Turkic root. Used historically to describe a particularly brutal execution method practiced in Ottoman and Central Asian contexts.

Kelly Says

This brutal word comes from Ottoman Turkish history—the fact that English borrowed it shows how detailed historical vocabulary gets passed between cultures, even for unpleasant things we'd rather forget!

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