The picture above shows my most accurate 1/6 scale model of the 1872 Berger guillotine. The names marked near each part are their most common designations in French. Some were found in books on the subject and others were copied from original technical documents and instructions, which accompanied the original Berger guillotine shipped to Saint Pierre in 1889.
The English name written in parenthesis next to the French term is its most direct translation. For example the term "lunette" is derived from the French word "lune" meaning moon. The diminutive "lunette" meaning either half-moon or small-moon. One common misconception is that the word "mouton" is translated sheep, but it is also a technical term, which translates as sledge or drive (as in pile-driver), ie a heavy block suspended from a frame and used to drive down pilings. |
