Etymograph

English

impale

Impale comes from Medieval Latin impālāre, and goes back to Latin palus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalus1
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500impālāre1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1624impale1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English impale
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1624, John Smith, The Present Estate of Nevv-Plimoth: “[T]he Tovvne is impailed about halfe a mile compaſſe.”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalusWiktionary, English impale
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500impālāreWiktionary, English impale
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1624impaleWiktionary, English impale. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1624, John Smith, The Present Estate of Nevv-Plimoth: “[T]he Tovvne is impailed about halfe a mile compaſſe.”

Linked words

through Latin palus

travel, pole, peel, travail, palisade, 22 more

Today it means

verb To pierce (something) with any long, pointed object.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “impale”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin palus / impale

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