The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for …

In days gone by, criminals who got caught might well have found themselves in the stocks (which held the feet or both feet and hands) or a pillory. Both of those forms of punishment—and the …

Public humiliation was a major part of punishment in stocks and pillories. These would always be sited in the most public place available, for example the market square or village green. In …

Oct 31, 2025 · When asked what was the pillory used for, historians answer plainly: to punish through shame. Thieves, liars, fraudsters, and blasphemers stood locked within its boards, …

PILLORY definition: 1. to severely criticize someone, especially in a public way: 2. to severely criticize someone…. Learn more.

The pillory, also known as the pillory stocks, was a form of punishment in which offenders were held in a public place for public humiliation and ridicule. It consisted of a wooden framework …

A pillory is a wooden frame with holes for the head and hands. In Europe in former times criminals were sometimes locked in a pillory as a form of punishment. Collins COBUILD Advanced …

Pillory, an instrument of corporal punishment consisting of a wooden post and frame fixed on a platform raised several feet from the ground. The head and hands of the offender were thrust …

PILLORY definition: a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision. See examples of pillory used in …

To expose to ridicule and abuse. 2. To put in a pillory as punishment. [Middle English, from Old French pilori, probably from Latin pīla, pillar.] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English …