[im.pale] vt im.paled ; im.pal.ing [MF & ML; MF empaler, fr. ML impalare, fr. L in- + palus stake--more at pole] (1605) 1: to join (coats of arms) on a heraldic shield divided vertically by a pale
2. a: to pierce with or as if with something pointed; esp: to torture or kill by fixing on a sharp stake b: to fix in an inescapable or helpless position -- im.pale.ment n -- im.pal.er n