From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishflagellatefla‧gel‧late /ˈflædʒəleɪt/ verb [transitive] formal RRCto whip yourself or someone else, especially as a religious punishment —flagellation /ˌflædʒəˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
flagellate• This should certainly not be a taboo subject, but nor should it be used to flagellate the mass of teachers.Origin flagellate (1600-1700) Latin flagellum “whip” 