euthanasia

C2 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.ʒə/ UK /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.zi.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #30000

Meanings

1

noun
the intentional ending of a person or animal's life in a painless way to relieve incurable suffering

The law permits euthanasia only under strict medical and legal safeguards.
2

noun
an easy or peaceful death, especially in older usage

The essay uses euthanasia in its original sense of a gentle death without suffering.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the intentional ending of a... mercy killing

2 noun · an easy or peaceful death,... easy deathpeaceful death

Opposites

life-prolonging treatment

Word family

Derived forms euthanizeeuthanise

Related forms assisted dyingpalliative carethanatos

Etymology

First recorded in English in the early seventeenth century, from Greek euthanasia ("easy or good death"), formed from eu- ("good, well") + thanatos ("death"). The modern medical and ethical sense developed from the older meaning "a peaceful death."

Topics

Ethics & Social Judgment

External links

# euthanasia

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.ʒə/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.zi.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 30000

## Meanings
1. the intentional ending of a person or animal's life in a painless way to relieve incurable suffering
2. an easy or peaceful death, especially in older usage

## Examples
- The law permits euthanasia only under strict medical and legal safeguards.
- The essay uses euthanasia in its original sense of a gentle death without suffering.

## Synonyms
- mercy killing
- easy death

## Antonyms
- life-prolonging treatment

## Derived Forms
- euthanize
- euthanise

## Related Forms
- assisted dying
- palliative care
- thanatos

## Roots and Affixes
- Affix: eu- - good

## Etymology
First recorded in English in the early seventeenth century, from Greek euthanasia ("easy or good death"), formed from eu- ("good, well") + thanatos ("death"). The modern medical and ethical sense developed from the older meaning "a peaceful death."

## Topics
- Ethics & Social Judgment

markdown