lynch
UK: lɪntʃ | US: lɪntʃ
vt. to execute (someone) without a legal trial, especially by hanging (often by a mob)
n. an act of lynching
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The term "lynch" originates from the late 18th century, likely named after Captain William Lynch (1742–1820), a Virginia militia leader who enforced extralegal punishments. Alternatively, it may derive from "Lynch’s Law," a term for vigilante justice in early America. The word evolved to specifically denote mob-led executions, particularly by hanging, and became entrenched in English during the 19th century. Its monomorphic structure reflects its origin as a proper noun later lexicalized into a verb.
The mob threatened to lynch the accused thief without a trial.
Lynchings were tragically common in the post-Civil War South.
Historians study the social conditions that fueled lynching epidemics.
The journalist exposed a failed attempt to lynch an innocent man.
Modern laws harshly penalize any act resembling lynching.