[ stra'pα:dəʊ , -'peɪdəʊ ]
■ noun ( plural ~s ) historical a form of punishment or torture in which the victim was secured to a rope and made to fall from a height almost to the ground before being stopped with an abrupt jerk.
↘the instrument used for this.
Origin
C16: from Fr. (e)strapade , from Ital. strappata , from strappare 'to snatch'.