In ancient times, decapitation was a common method of executing serious criminals in many countries.

### 解释 decapitation 由前缀 de-（表示"去除"）和拉丁词根 caput（意为"头"）加上名词后缀 -ation 构成，字面意思是"去除头部"，即"斩首"这种处决方式。