Cyphonism

Cyphonism (Ancient Greek: κυφωνισμός, romanizedkyphōnismos, from κῡφός, "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment using a κύφων (kyphōn), a kind of wooden pillory in which the neck of a malefactor would be fastened.[1] Some sources describe cyphonism more specifically as involving a method similar to scaphism, in which a person's naked body, having been locked in the kyphōn, was smeared with honey, and exposed to flies, wasps, and other pests.[2][3]

  1. ^ "cyphonism". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ Porter, Noah, ed. (1913). "Cyphonism". Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.
  3. ^ Public Domain Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Cyphonism". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.