headsman
/'hedzmən/
Definition
- Noun:
- An executioner who beheads condemned persons: A "headsman" is specifically an official whose duty is to carry out capital punishment by decapitation, typically using an axe or a sword.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The condemned prisoner was led to the block to meet the headsman.
- In historical accounts, the headsman was often a feared and solitary figure.
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively historical, referring to a role common in eras when beheading was a standard method of execution.
- It can be used metaphorically to denote an agent of severe or final judgment, though this is rare.
- The ruthless CEO was dubbed the headsman of the industry, cutting jobs without mercy.
Variants and Related Words
- Executioner (n): A more general term for someone who carries out a death sentence.
- Axeman (n): Can be a synonym in the context of an executioner, though it also has other meanings.
Synonyms
- Executioner: One who executes a condemned person.
- Decapitator: One who beheads (less common, more literal).
Related Phrases and Idioms
- To lay one's head on the block: To willingly accept a severe punishment or consequence. This idiom evokes the image of placing one's neck on the execution block for the headsman.
- By admitting the mistake, he laid his head on the block for the board's criticism.
Noun
-
an executioner who beheads the condemned person
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