lynch

English

Etymology

First attested 1835, from Lynch law that appeared in 1811. There is a popular claim that it was named after William Lynch, but equally strong arguments would have it named after Charles Lynch.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /lɪntʃ/, X-SAMPA: /lIntS/
• Rhymes: -ɪntʃ
• Homophone: Lynch

Verb

lynch (third-person singular simple present lynches, present participle lynching, simple past and past participle lynched)

1. (pejorative) To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging.
2. (pejorative) To commit an act of violence by a mob upon the body of another person.

Synonyms

• (execute without a proper legal trial): string up

Derived terms

• lynching
• lynch mob

Related terms

• kangaroo court
• show trial

Translations

execute without a proper legal trial

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 執行私刑 (cmn), 执行私刑 (cmn) (zhíxíng sīxíng)

• Dutch: lynchen (nl)
• Finnish: lynkata (fi)
• French: lyncher (fr)
• German: lynchen (de)
• Hungarian: meglincsel (hu)
• Japanese: リンチを加える (ja) (rinchi-o kuwaeru), 私刑を加える (ja) (shikei-o kuwaeru)

• Polish: linczować (pl), zlinczować (pl)
• Portuguese: linchar (pt)
• Russian: линчевать (ru) (linčevát'), расправляться самосудом (ru) (raspravlját'sja samosúdom)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ли̏нчовати (sh)

  Roman: lȉnčovati (sh)

• Spanish: linchar (es)