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lynching

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lynch

  [linch]
Use lynching in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
to put to death, esp. by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority.
Origin:
1825–35, Americanism; v. use of lynch in lynch law

Related forms:
lyncher, noun

Synonyms:
See hang.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lynching
lynch   (lĭnch)   
tr.v.   lynched, lynch·ing, lynch·es
To punish (a person) without legal process or authority, especially by hanging, for a perceived offense or as an act of bigotry.

[Short for lynch law.]
lynch'er n., lynch'ing n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

lynch  (v.)
1835, from earlier Lynch law (1811), likely named after William Lynch (1742-1820) of Pittsylvania, Va., who c.1780 led a vigilance committee to keep order there during the Revolution. Other sources trace the name to Charles Lynch (1736-96) a Virginia magistrate who fined and imprisoned Tories in his district c.1782, but the connection to him is less likely. Originally any sort of summary justice, especially by flogging; narrowing of focus to "extralegal execution by hanging" is 20c. Lynch mob is attested from 1838. The surname is either from O.E. hlinc "hill" or Ir. Loingseach "sailor."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: lynch
Pronunciation: 'linch
Function: transitive verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction —lynch·er noun

Main Entry: lynch·ing
Function: noun
1 : the crime of lynching a person
2 : LYNCH LAW
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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