EUTHANASIA

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does euthanasia mean? 

• EUTHANASIA (noun)
  The noun EUTHANASIA has 1 sense:

1. the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

  Familiarity information: EUTHANASIA used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EUTHANASIA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

euthanasia; mercy killing

Hypernyms ("euthanasia" is a kind of...):

kill; killing; putting to death (the act of terminating a life)

 Context examples 

For myself I could hold it in my account with God to find such an euthanasia for you, even at this moment if it were best.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

A method of euthanasia whereby a subject is anesthetized and the blood of the body is replaced by a perfusate.

(Anesthetized Exsanguination and Perfusion Euthanasia, NCI Thesaurus)

A method of euthanasia whereby a subject inhales carbon dioxide until asphyxiation occurs and then the body is immediately drained of blood.

(Carbon Dioxide and Exsanguination Euthanasia, NCI Thesaurus)

A method of euthanasia whereby a subject is shot in the brain with a captive bolt pistol causing immediate and permanent unconsciousness or death, followed by draining the body of blood.

(Captive Bolt and Exsanguination Euthanasia, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called euthanasia.

(Mercy killing, NCI Dictionary)