WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
squas•sa•tion
(skwo sā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
- a form of strappado in which the victim, with arms bound behind and feet heavily weighted, was jerked up and down at the end of a rope passed under the arms.
- Vulgar Latin *exquassāre; see squash1) + -ation
- Italian squass(are) to shake severely (
- 1725–35