Saturday, July 5, 2008

AskOxford: Word of the Day

Word of the Day from AskOxford: www.askoxford.com

cucking-stool
noun historical a chair to which disorderly women were tied and then ducked into water or subjected to public ridicule as a punishment.
origin Middle English: from obsolete cuck ‘defecate’, of Scandinavian origin; so named because a stool containing a chamber pot was often used for the purpose.

Pronunciation available online: www.askoxford.com

Source: Oxford Dictionary of English
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