Strap*pa"do (?), n.; pl. Strappadoes (#). [It. strappata a pull, the
strappado, from strappare to pull, from Prov. G. strapfen: cf. G.
straff tense, stretched.] A military punishment formerly practiced,
which consisted in drawing an offender to the top of a beam and letting
him fall to the length of the rope, by which means a limb was often
dislocated. Shak.
Strap*pa"do, v. t. To punish or torture by the strappado. Milton.
Strap"per (?), n. 1. One who uses strap.