hangman

English

Etymology

hang +‎ -man

Noun

hangman (countable and uncountable, plural hangmen)

1. (countable) An executioner responsible for hanging criminals.
   • 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act II Scene II

     One cried, "God bless us!" and "Amen" the other,

     As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.

2. (uncountable, games) A guessing game where one has to guess the word an opponent is thinking of by guessing one letter at a time, and involving the gradual drawing of a stick figure hanging from the gallows.

Derived terms

• cheat the hangman

Translations

executioner

• Armenian: դահիճ (hy) (dahič)
• Bulgarian: палач (bg) m (palač)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 劊子手／刽子手 (zh) (guìzishǒu), 刽子手 (zh) (guìzishǒu)

• Dutch: beul (nl) m or f
• Finnish: hirttäjä, pyöveli (fi)
• French: bourreau (fr) m
• Galician: buxeu m, verdugo m
• German: Henker (de) m
• Greek: δήμιος (el) m (dímios)
• Italian: boia (it) m, carnefice (it) m
• Japanese: 死刑執行人 (しけいしっこうにん, shikeishikkōnin)
• Kumyk: жаллат (jallat)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: џе́лат m (džélat), бе́сач m (bésač)
• Norman: pendard m
• Persian: دژخیم (fa) (dožxim)
• Polish: kat (pl) m
• Portuguese: enforcador m
• Romanian: călău (ro) m, gâde (ro) m, gealat (ro) m
• Russian: пала́ч (ru) m (paláč), ве́шатель (ru) m (véšatelʹ)
• Spanish: verdugo (es) m, ahorcador m
• Tagalog: tagabitay, mambibitay
• Turkish: cellat (tr)
• West Frisian: boal
• Yiddish: תּליון m (talyen)

game

• Bulgarian: бесеница f (besenica)
• Catalan: penjat m
• Czech: šibenice (cs) f
• Dutch: galgje (nl) n
• Finnish: hirsipuu (fi)
• French: pendu (fr) m
• Greek: κρεμάλα (el) f (kremála)
• Icelandic: hengimann m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: бе́силка f (bésilka)
• Portuguese: jogo da forca m
• Romanian: spânzurătoarea f
• Russian: ви́селица (ru) f (víselica)
• Spanish: ahorcado (es) m, colgado (es) m
• Turkish: adam asmaca
• West Frisian: galchje

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} timukas
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: (1) ^{(please verify)} bödel (sv) c, (1) ^{(please verify)} skarprättare (sv) c, (2) ^{(please verify)} hänggubbe c

See also

• hangman's noose
• hanging