nounmasculinepl: headsmen
carrasco
1. An executioner who beheads condemned prisoners; a person whose job is to carry out executions by decapitation
The headsman awaited the condemned man on the scaffold.
O carrasco aguardava o homem condenado no patíbulo.
2. Historically, an official appointed to perform capital punishment by beheading
Medieval headsmen were often feared and reviled members of society.
Os carrascos medievais eram frequentemente membros temidos e desprezados da sociedade.
The term 'headsman' is primarily historical, referring to judicial executioners in medieval and early modern Europe, particularly England. It carries significant historical and literary weight, appearing frequently in historical fiction and accounts of capital punishment. In Portuguese-speaking cultures, 'carrasco' serves the equivalent function, though both terms are now mainly encountered in historical contexts rather than contemporary usage.
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