guillotine

C2 Topic:Crime & Justice

US /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/ UK /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/ See IPA manual

Freq #15676

Meanings

1

noun
a machine for executing a person by dropping a heavy blade through the neck

The condemned prisoner was led from the cell to the guillotine.
2

verb
to execute someone by means of a guillotine

The revolutionary tribunal guillotined the former official after a brief trial.
3

noun
a parliamentary procedure that sets a fixed deadline for debate on a bill or motion

The government imposed a guillotine to bring the prolonged debate to a vote.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a machine for executing a... beheading machine

2 verb · to execute someone by means... behead decapitate

3 noun · a parliamentary procedure... closuretime limit

Word family

Forms guillotined

Derived forms guillotinerguillotinism

Related forms decapitationexecution blade

Etymology

From French guillotine, named after the physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who advocated a standardized, less painful method of execution during the French Revolution. He did not invent the machine, but his surname became attached to it and then produced the English verb.

Topics

Crime & Justice

External links

# guillotine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/
**Frequency rank:** 15676

## Meanings
1. a machine for executing a person by dropping a heavy blade through the neck
2. to execute someone by means of a guillotine
3. a parliamentary procedure that sets a fixed deadline for debate on a bill or motion

## Examples
- The condemned prisoner was led from the cell to the guillotine.
- The revolutionary tribunal guillotined the former official after a brief trial.
- The government imposed a guillotine to bring the prolonged debate to a vote.

## Synonyms
- beheading machine
- closure
- time limit
- behead
- decapitate

## Derived Forms
- guillotiner
- guillotinism

## Related Forms
- decapitation
- execution
- blade

## Etymology
From French guillotine, named after the physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who advocated a standardized, less painful method of execution during the French Revolution. He did not invent the machine, but his surname became attached to it and then produced the English verb.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice

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