A
guillotine (; ) is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out
executions by
beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame in which a weighted and angled
blade is raised to the top and suspended. The condemned person is secured with stocks at the bottom of the frame, positioning the neck directly below the blade. The blade is then released, to fall swiftly and forcefully severing the head of the victim from the body with a single pass.