What is the meaning of crucify?

verb

• Kill by nailing onto a cross.
  • usage: "Jesus Christ was crucified"
• Treat cruelly.
  • usage: "The children tormented the stuttering teacher"
  • synonyms: torment, rag, bedevil, dun, frustrate
• Hold within limits and control.
  • usage: "subdue one's appetites"; "mortify the flesh"
  • synonyms: mortify, subdue
• Criticize harshly or violently.
  • usage: "The press savaged the new President"; "The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage"
  • synonyms: savage, blast, pillory