Dictionary

underhangman en · NOUN

Pronunciation

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Etymology

From under- + hangman.

Meanings

1. (nonce-word, qualifier:Shakespeare) An assistant or deputy hangman.
   • […] thou wert dignified enough, Even to the point of envy, if ’twere made Comparative for your virtues, to be styled The under-hangman of his kingdom […] 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

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