An upright post with an arm extending from it, used in medieval times to hang executed criminals as public punishment and warning.
From Old French 'gibet,' possibly derived from 'gibe' (a bent stick or cudgel). The word entered Middle English in the 12th century and became associated with execution and justice.
Gibbets were designed for maximum psychological impact—the decaying body of a executed criminal was left hanging to rot so everyone traveling that road would see it and think twice about crime, making it one of history's most terrifying public advertisements!
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