tripalium

Latin

Alternative forms

• trepālium

Etymology

From tripālis (“composed of three stakes”) +‎ -ium. Possibly a calque of Byzantine Greek τριπάσσαλον (tripássalon), from τρι- (tri-, “three”) +‎ πάσσαλος (pássalos, “peg”).

Noun

tripālium n (genitive tripāliī); second declension (Late Latin)

1. torture instrument consisting of three stakes
   • 578 CE, Aunacharius Autissiodorensis, Concilium Antissiodorense (Council of Auxerre) Canon XXXIII:

     Non licet presbytero, nec diacono, ad trepalium, ubi rei torquentur, stare.

     It is not permitted for a priest, nor a deacon, to stand close to a trepalium, where the guilty are tortured.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tripālium	tripālia
Genitive	tripāliī	tripāliōrum
Dative	tripāliō	tripāliīs
Accusative	tripālium	tripālia
Ablative	tripāliō	tripāliīs
Vocative	tripālium	tripālia

Descendants

• Old French: travail (“device for detaining horses whilst they are shod or armoured”)
  • French: travail
    • → English: travois
• Vulgar Latin: *tripāliāre (see there for further descendants)

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “trĭpalium”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 13: To–Tyrus, page 292

Further reading

• tripalium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)