# cat-o'-nine-tails

Pronunciation: say "kat-uh-NYN-taylz" /ˌkæt ə ˈnaɪn teɪlz/

## Noun

1. A whip with nine cords, often knotted, formerly used to flog sailors as a punishment in the navy.
   - Simple: A whip with nine knotted cords, once used to punish sailors in the navy.
   - _The bosun's mate drew the cat-o'-nine-tails from its red baize bag before the punishment began._
   - _Twelve lashes from the cat-o'-nine-tails left the deserter's back raw._
2. A whip of similar build made with nine leather tails, as used in British penal colonies and certain armies.
   - Simple: A whip of the same kind but made of leather, used to punish prisoners and soldiers.
   - _Convicts at the penal settlement dreaded the cat-o'-nine-tails kept in the guardhouse._
   - _The sergeant laid the cat-o'-nine-tails across the deserter's shoulders at the regiment's order._

## Origin

Formed from cat + o' + nine + tails, where "cat" refers to the inflicted wounds resembling the scratches of a cat. First attested in 1695.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cat-o--nine-tails (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).