impalement vs torment

impalement

noun
  • The act of torturing or executing someone by impaling them on a sharp stake. 

  • (obsolete) In the sense of an enclosure, the calyx of a flower. In still older works, also spelt empalement (q.v.) 

  • A space fenced in, such as by palings, possibly in the form of an enclosure or cup. 

  • The joining of two coats of arms on one shield. 

torment

noun
  • Torture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture. 

  • Any extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental. 

verb
  • To cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.) 

How often have the words impalement and torment occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )