English

Etymology
From Old French tumberel (in Anglo-Latin tumberellus), from tomber �to fall�.

Pronunciation
IPA|/'t�mbrɪl/

Noun
en-noun

1. a kind of mediaeval torture device, later associated with a cucking-stool
2. a cart which opens at the back to release its load

#:*1800: They then confined the Dean, while they rifled the house of every valuable article, as well as plate and money; all that was portable they loaded on Mr. Carleton�s own tumbril, to which they harnessed his horse � The Times, 17 Mar 1800, p.3 col. B
#:*1994: They�d rigged a makeshift tent of sheeting over the little tumbril of a cart and they�d put up a sign at the front that gave her history and the number of people she was known to have eaten. � Cormac McCarthy?, The Crossing

1. a cart used to carry condemned prisoners to their death, especially to the guillotine during the w:French Revolution|French Revolution

Alternative forms
tumbrel

io:tumbril
ru:tumbril
vi:tumbril

• 2007-07-08 00:23 - AutoFormat - header -Alternate forms +Alternative forms

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