What does garotting mean?
Garotting means strangling a person with a tightly drawn cord, wire, or other ligature, historically especially as a method of execution. The word is the present participle and gerund of garot, a less common spelling of garrote and related to the more familiar garroting. Its core idea is the deliberate constriction of the throat by a narrow band, rather than the broader process of strangulation in general. In modern English it appears chiefly in historical, legal, and biographical writing, including accounts of judicial executions, and it carries a distinctly grim, specialized tone. As a verbal noun, garotting can name the act itself, as in a sentence condemning a person to death by garotting. As a present participle, it identifies the person being subjected to the procedure, as in a historical account of the prisoner being garotted. The spelling with a single r should not be confused with the more common doubled-r form, garroting, although both belong to the same English word family. Garotting is worth knowing as a precise historical term and as an example of how a familiar definition can survive in a less familiar spelling.
verb (present participle and gerund)Garotting is the act of strangling someone with a tightly drawn cord, wire, or similar ligature, especially as a method of execution.
- The act of strangling a person with a cord, wire, or other ligature, especially as a method of execution.
"The executioner carried out the sentence by garotting the condemned man."
"The executioner carried out the sentence by garotting the condemned man."
"The chronicles describe the death as an execution by garotting rather than by the sword."
One letter separates two names for the same grim practice: garotting and garroting.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does garotting come from?
Garotting comes from the English verb garot, a variant of garrote, with the form related to French garotte and Old French garrot, meaning “throat.” The word's history connects the body part with the cord or band tightened around it and ultimately with the act of strangling. Garrot, garrote, garotte, and garrotter reflect the same French-derived etymon.
Related word forms
How garotting is actually used
The term is chiefly historical, formal, and specialized. It denotes strangulation by a tightened ligature rather than strangulation in general.
Easily confused with garotting
Garotting, with one r after ga, corresponds to the variant verb garot, whereas garroting, with a doubled r, is the more common modern spelling.