Colaphize
/ˈkɒləfaɪz/noun
To strike or slap, especially with the hand or fist.
Did you know?Colaphize derives from the same Greek verb used in the New Testament for being struck or slapped, including the mockery and beating of Jesus.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κολαφίζω (kolaphízō)
“To strike with the hand or fist; to slap or beat”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κόλαφος (kólaphos)
“A blow delivered with the fist or hand”
Late Antiquity
Latin
colaphizare
“To strike or slap; a Latin borrowing from Greek”
Middle English / Scholastic Latin
Latin-English
colaphizare / colaphise
“To strike or buffet, chiefly in learned or theological usage”
Modern English
English
colaphize
“To strike or slap, now an extremely rare and archaic verb”