Judas cradle

English

Etymology

Derives its name from the biblical figure of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ. It was believed that the torture device was named after Judas as a means of punishing those who were deemed to have betrayed their fellow man.

Noun

Judas cradle (plural Judas cradles)

1. A purported torture device invented in Spain in the 16th century by the Spanish Inquisition by which the suspended victim’s orifice, usually the anus, was slowly impaled on and stretched by the pyramidal tip of the seat.

Synonyms

• Judas chair

Translations

device of torture

Italian: Culla di Giuda f Portuguese: berço-de-judas m, berço de Judas Spanish: cuna de Judas f