gibbeting

Gibbeting was a practice where the body of an executed criminal was hung in chains in a conspicuous location as a public deterrent. This custom, though not part of the legal sentence itself, involved displaying the body, often smeared with pitch or tallow to slow decomposition, to warn against future wrongdoing.1

The term "gibbet" originally referred to a type of gallows, and later specifically to the structure used for this post-execution display. These structures were built to last and were often erected near roads or on hilltops. Over time, the practice led to the phrase "to gibbet" meaning to hold someone up to public scorn or infamy.12