Plural of garrotte; wires or cords used for strangulation, or the act of strangling someone with such a device.
From Spanish 'garrote,' with the plural ending '-s' and sometimes '-tes' in English. See garrotte for full etymology.
Garrotte murders became so common in 19th-century Europe that the word shifted from just meaning an execution method to meaning any strangulation robbery—the weapon became synonymous with the crime itself.
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