Lynch
/lɪntʃ/noun
To kill someone, especially by hanging, without legal authority; also, to subject someone to mob justice.
Did you know?The origin of *lynch* is disputed: it may come from an Anglo-American surname linked to extrajudicial punishment, but unlike words such as *disaster* or *nightmare*, it has no secure occult or literal “dark root” in the older language sense.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
lynchen
“to beat or punish”
Late 17th Century
English
lynch
“to punish without legal process”
18th Century
English
Lynch law
“mob justice or extrajudicial punishment”
Modern English
English
lynch
“to kill or punish by mob action, especially by hanging”
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