gauntlet

About 0.55 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
2. noun A long glove covering the wrist.
3. noun A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
4. noun An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
5. noun Two parallel rows of attackers who strike at a criminal as punishment.
6. noun A simultaneous attack from two or more sides.
7. noun Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment.
8. noun A fight against swarms of relatively minor enemies in the form of multiple waves, often but not always preceding a boss.

Similar words

metal glove glove mitt noose clamp vise stranglehold grip boxing catcher

Often followed by

of to and in was thrown through at for

Word family

gantlet gantlets gauntleted gauntlets