1a. a method of execution by strangulation b. the apparatus used 2. an implement (as a wire with a handle at each end) for strangulation

My friends Mark and Natasha used this word yesterday in a conversation we were having. I have no idea how it came up, but I had to ask them for the definition, after which I told them that I would make it a word of the day. For more on garrote, view the Wikipedia entry.