hangman
/ˈhæŋˌmæn/ noun
Forms hangmen
- noun (countable) An executioner responsible for hanging criminals.
- noun Someone responsible for hanging pictures and other artworks in a gallery, museum etc.
- noun (uncountable, games) A guessing game where one has to guess the word an opponent is thinking of by guessing one letter at a time, and involving the gradual drawing of a stick figure hanging from the gallows.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English hangman, hongman, hangeman, equivalent to hang + -man.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hangman”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details