garrote

The garrote was a Spanish execution device used to kill someone by strangulation or damage to the spinal cord. Garrote is used to mean strangulation in general or a weapon a person would use to strangle someone.

The execution method known as the garrote involved tightening an iron collar around a person’s neck until they died. Garrote is also used for the name of the actual device used as part of this type of execution.

Today, the word garrote refers to a weapon used for strangulation, as in Police found a knife and a garrote at the suspect’s home. A garrote usually takes the form of a length of wire with handles on the ends.

As a verb, garrote is used to mean to kill someone with a garrote or to strangle or throttle someone in general, as in The coroner had determined that the man had been garroted with piano wire.  

A person who strangles or kills someone with a garrote is known as a garroter.

Garrote can also be spelled garrotte or garote.

Example: Mr. Green had determined that the victim was strangled by Prof. Plum with a garrote. 

The first records of garrote come from around 1615. It comes from the Spanish garrote, referring to the execution method.

Today, the garrote and other cruel execution devices are illegal in most places. As its Spanish origin hints at, the garotte was used for torture and execution by the Spanish Inquisition. According to Spanish chroniclers, King Philip II of Spain was known to personally order Protestants to be killed with the garotte.

In popular culture, a garrote is a common weapon used by the protagonist Agent 47 of the Hitman series of video games. He is depicted holding a garotte on the cover of the video game Hitman: Blood Money released in 2006.

What are some other forms related to garotte?

• garotter (noun)
• garrotte (alternative spelling)
• garote (alternative spelling)

What are some synonyms for garotte?

• strangle
• throttle

What are some words that often get used in discussing garotte?

• strangulation
• execution
• Spain
• Spanish Inquisition
• murder
• kill

While it is generally against the rules to discuss murder or murder weapons on social media, but garotte is sometimes used in hyperbole or discussions of police work.

Rees-Mogg: said: "We don't go from being strangled by red tape to being garotted by red tape."https://t.co/Og1ZpwlATa

— PoliticsSense (@PoliticsSense) April 1, 2017

hello, spool of anxious thoughts winding around me like a garotte

— Talia Lavin (@chick_in_kiev) March 3, 2019

Sorting out tax stuff. Wanting to garotte everything.

— Joseph / йосиф сташко🇺🇦 (@JosephStash) June 21, 2011