impalement

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   The act of torturing or executing someone by impaling them on a sharp stake.
2. 2
   The joining of two coats of arms on one shield.
3. 3
   A space fenced in, such as by palings, possibly in the form of an enclosure or cup.
4. 4
   In the sense of an enclosure, the calyx of a flower. (In still older works, also spelt empalement.)