noun
guillotine; scaffold; beheading block
Refers to the apparatus used for execution by beheading, especially the guillotine. Often used in historical or dramatic contexts.
フランス革命では、多くの貴族が断頭台に送られた。
During the French Revolution, many aristocrats were sent to the guillotine.
断頭台の刃が落ちる瞬間を想像すると、背筋が凍る。
Imagining the moment the guillotine blade falls sends a chill down my spine.
処刑台 is a general term for an execution platform, not limited to beheading.
Compound of 断頭 (beheading) and 台 (platform, stand). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely emerged in the modern era to describe Western-style execution devices.