First Known Use: 1790
Dictionary
guillotine
noun guil·lo·tine \ˈgi-lə-ˌtēn; ˌgē-(y)ə-ˈ, ˈgē-(y)ə-ˌ\
: a machine with a heavy blade that was used in the past to cut off the heads of people who had been sentenced to death
Full Definition of GUILLOTINE
1
: a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides
2
: a shearing machine or instrument (as a paper cutter) that in action resembles a guillotine
3
chiefly British : closure by the imposition of a predetermined time limit on the consideration of specific sections of a bill or portions of other legislative business
— guillotine transitive verb
See guillotine defined for English-language learners
See guillotine defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT
Origin of GUILLOTINE
French, from Joseph Guillotin †1814 French physician
Other Legal Terms
Rhymes with GUILLOTINE
Aberdeen, almandine, amandine, argentine, Argentine, atropine, Balanchine, barkentine, bengaline, blanc de chine, bombazine, Borodin, brigandine, brigantine, brilliantine, Byzantine, carotene, carrageen, celandine, clozapine, contravene, crepe de chine, crystalline, damascene, Dexedrine, dopamine, Dramamine, drum machine, duvetyn, eglantine, endocrine, Eocene, epicene, estuarine, evergreen, fescennine, figurine, Florentine, gabardine, gaberdine, gadarene, galantine, gasoline, Ghibelline, go-between, golden mean, grenadine, Gretna Green, Halloween, haute cuisine, Hippocrene, histamine, Holocene, in-between, indigene, intervene, jelly bean, Josephine, jumping bean, kerosene, kidney bean, langoustine, legatine, lethal gene, Levantine, libertine, limousine, lycopene, M16, magazine, make the scene, mangosteen, margravine, Medellín, melamine, messaline, mezzanine, Miocene, mousseline, navy bean, Nazarene, nectarine, nicotine, opaline, organzine, palanquin, pelerine, percaline, peregrine, philhellene, Philistine, pinto bean, Pleistocene, Pliocene, riverine, quarantine, reserpine, saccharine, Sakhalin, Saladin, San Joaquin, sapphirine, schizophrene, serpentine, seventeen, sibylline, slot machine, submarine, subroutine, supervene, tambourine, tangerine, Theatine, time machine, tourmaline, trampoline, transmarine, travertine, Tridentine, Ursuline, Vaseline, velveteen, wintergreen, wolverine, zibeline
GUILLOTINE Defined for Kids
1guillotine
noun guil·lo·tine \ˈgi-lə-ˌtēn\
Definition of GUILLOTINE for Kids
: a machine for cutting off a person's head with a heavy blade that slides down two grooved posts
2guillotine
verb
guil·lo·tinedguil·lo·tin·ing
Definition of GUILLOTINE for Kids
: to cut off a person's head with a guillotine
Medical Dictionary
guillotine
noun guil·lo·tine \ˈgil-ə-ˌtēn, ˈgē-ə-ˌtēn\
Medical Definition of GUILLOTINE
: a surgical instrument that consists of a ring and handle with a knife blade which slides down the handle and across the ring and that is used for cutting out a protruding structure (as a tonsil) capable of being placed in the ring
Biographical Note for GUILLOTINE
Guil·lo·tin \gē-yȯ-taⁿ\ , Joseph–Ignace (1738–1814), French surgeon. Guillotin was a member of the National Assembly during the time of the French Revolution. In 1789 he proposed the passage of a law requiring that all death sentences be carried out by decapitation, a practice up to that time reserved for the nobility. At the time decapitation was perceived to be a humane method of execution, and its uniform application was intended as a statement of egalitarian ideals. Various decapitation devices had been in use for centuries, but an improvement was commissioned, and subsequently introduced in 1792. Gradually the device became known as the guillotine as it became associated with the man who had advocated it as a humane instrument of capital punishment. The surgical instrument known as the guillotine is so called because it features a similar sliding-blade action.
Learn More About GUILLOTINE
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: guillotinerPrevious Word in the Dictionary: guillocheAll Words Near: guillotine
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up guillotine? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).