D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

iron maiden

/ī'-ẽrn mād'-ən/ · i·ron maid·en · IPA
01 n. An instrument of torture used in the middle ages, consisting of a box large enough to hold a person, often in the shape of a woman, and hav…
  1. 1.
    An instrument of torture used in the middle ages, consisting of a box large enough to hold a person, often in the shape of a woman, and having multiple sharp spikes on the inside. Called also the iron maiden of Nuremberg. Also: iron maiden of Nuremberg