pil-

(Latin: to gather, to pillage, to plunder, to rob, to steal, to snatch, to heap up (as stones) and to carry off)

Don't confuse the words in this pil- unit with the pil-, pilo- or "hair" group of words.

pillory (verb), pillories; pilloried; pillorying
1. To publicly or to openly criticize and to scorn someone in a very harsh way: The mayor was pilloried by the press and the local citizens for his bad behavior and the criticisms kept coming in for several days.

The city counsel is pillorying the judge for the decision she made about releasing a convicted burglar.

2. Historically, to put someone into a wooden frame with his hands and feet bound as a public punishment: The man was pilloried for stealing food in the open market.
To expose to public scorn or ridicule.
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