Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

impale

im.pale \im-'pa-(*)l\ \-m*nt\ vt [MF & ML; MF empaler, fr. ML impalare, fr. 
   L in- + palusX stake - more at POLE archaic  1: to enclose with or as if 
   with stakes or a palisade : SURROUND  2: to pierce with or as if with 
   something pointed; esp : to tortur e or kill by fixing on a sharp stake 3: 
   to join coats of arms on a heraldic shield divided vertically by a pale  - 
   im.pale.ment n