Flagellation (Latin flagellum, ´whip´), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o´ nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on an unwilling subject as a punishment; however, it can also be submitted to willingly and even done by oneself in sadomasochistic or religious contexts.
The strokes are typically aimed at the unclothed back of a person, though they can be administered to other areas of the body. For a moderated subform of flagellation, described as bastinado, the soles of a person´s bare feet are used as a target for beating (see foot whipping).
en
