guillotine

Definition of guillotine

Etymology

From French guillotine, after Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who proposed its use for capital punishment..

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈgɪlətiːn/ or IPA: /ˈgiː.ətiːn/

Noun

guillotine (plural guillotines)

1. A machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation, consisting of a tall upright frame from which is suspended a heavy diagonal-edged blade.
2. A device used for cutting stacks of paper to straight edges, usually by means of a hinged blade attached to a flat platform.
3. A cloture; a motion that debate be ended and a vote taken.

Verb

to guillotine (third-person singular simple present guillotines, present participle guillotining, simple past and past participle guillotined)

1. (transitive) To execute, cut or cut short (a person, a stack of paper or a debate) by use of a guillotine.

Further reading

The guillotine (English pronunciation: /ˈɡɪlətiːn/ or /ˈɡiː.ətiːn/; French: [ɡijɔtin]) was a device used for carrying out executions by decapitation. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Guillotinemodels.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="guillotine" align="right" />It consists of a tall upright frame from which a blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body. The device is noted for long being the main method of execution in France and, more particularly, for its use during the French Revolution, when it "became a part of popular culture, celebrated as the people's avenger by supporters of the Revolution and vilified as the pre-eminent symbol, of the Terror by opponents". Nevertheless, the guillotine continued to be used long after the French Revolution in several countries.