What is "cyphonism"

Cyphonism \Cyph"o*nism\ (s?f`?-n?z'm or s?"f?-), n. [Gr. ????, fr. ???? a crooked piece of wood, a sort of pillory, fr. ??? bent, stooping.] A punishment sometimes used by the ancients, consisting in the besmearing of the criminal with honey, and exposing him to insects. It is still in use among some Oriental nations. [1913 Webster] ||

n. 1 An ancient form of punishment involving a sort of wooden pillory by which the victim's neck was bent or weighed downward. 2 (context formerly, by confusion English) An ancient punishment in which the criminal was smeared with honey and exposed to insects.

Cyphonism ( Gr , from , "bent, crooked") was a form of punishment by the (kyphon), a sort of wooden pillory by which the neck of the malefactor was bent or weighed downward. Formerly, this term was widely believed to refer to a form of punishment in which the criminal's naked body was smeared with honey, and exposed him to flies, wasps, etc.