Legal Definitions - supplicium

Definition: Supplicium (sə-PLISH-ee-əm) is a Latin term used in Roman law to refer to a punishment. The ultimate supplicium is the death penalty.

Examples:

• When a Roman citizen committed a serious crime, they could face supplicium, which might include being whipped, crucified, or even put to death.
• In ancient Rome, the punishment for treason was often supplicium, which meant the person would be executed in a public spectacle.

These examples illustrate how supplicium was a broad term used to describe any punishment inflicted on a person who had committed a crime. The severity of the punishment depended on the severity of the crime, and in some cases, the punishment could be as extreme as death.