Technique for carrying out the death penalty. Nail the prisoner to a pair of perpendicular beams, and let him hang until he dies. Most famous victim: Jesus Christ - his execution fulfilled various Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, and a few other things. The crucifix in Christianity is a reminder; was it Lenny Bruce who had a routine about wearing tiny electric chairs around our necks? Crucifixion is done today in the Sudan, part of the government's persecution of Christians.