Cyphonism (Greek: κυφωνισμός, from κῡφός, "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment using a κύφων (kyphon), a kind of wooden pillory in which the neck of a malefactor would be fastened.[1] Formerly, this term was widely believed to refer to scaphism, a form of punishment or torture in which a person's naked body was smeared with honey, and exposed to flies, wasps, and other pests.[2][3]
References
- ^ "cyphonism". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Porter, Noah, ed. (1913). "Cyphonism". Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.
- ^
Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Cyphonism". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
