Definition
deathsman
noun
- a person who executes condemned criminals; an executioner
Usage: archaic; historical
Examples
- The deathsman carried out the sentence passed by the court.
- In medieval times, the deathsman was a feared and often despised figure in the community.
- The condemned prisoner was led to the deathsman on the scaffold.
- Historical records describe the deathsman's grim duties during the reign of King Henry VIII.