guillotine

noun ghee-yo-TEEN Rare

Origin: named after Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, 18th-century French physician

Usage Note

Guillotine was introduced during the French Revolution as a supposedly humane method of execution, and remained France's official method until the abolition of the death penalty in 1981. It is also used figuratively for budget cuts (la guillotine budgétaire) and in paper-cutting contexts. The verb guillotiner means 'to guillotine'.

Examples

"La guillotine a été utilisée jusqu'en 1977."

Natural Translation

The guillotine was used until 1977.

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