euthanasia

American  

[yoo-thuh-ney-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / ˌyu θəˈneɪ ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

noun

1. Also called mercy killing.  the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition.

2. painless death.

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euthanasia British  

/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪzɪə /

noun

1. Also called: mercy killing.  the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

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euthanasia Scientific  

/ yo̅o̅′thə-nā′zhə /

1. The act or practice of painlessly ending the life of an animal or a willing individual who has a terminal illness or incurable condition, as by giving a lethal drug.

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euthanasia Cultural  

1. Painlessly putting someone to death — usually someone with an incurable and painful disease; mercy killing.

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Discover More

Proposals to make euthanasia legal in the United States have inspired heated debate.

Other Word Forms

• euthanasiast noun
• euthanasic adjective
• proeuthanasia adjective

Etymology

Origin of euthanasia

1640–50; < New Latin < Greek euthanasía an easy death, equivalent to eu- eu- + thánat ( os ) death + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

Yet he bears unseen burdens that dominate his thoughts as he tries to decide how to proceed on what could be his last major act in office: signing a law to legalize euthanasia.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Our only options at this point are to either relocate the whales or face the devastating decision of euthanasia," a statement said.

From Barron's

“I researched that euthanasia story with the urgency of someone who could have been a victim,” she writes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those wanting to end their life must request euthanasia personally and in writing, provided they are a Uruguayan citizen or a foreign resident, the law states.

From BBC

Elsewhere in Latin America, courts in Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalized euthanasia without passing laws to legalize the practice, while Cuba allows for terminal patients to refuse being kept alive artificially.

From Barron's

Related Words

• assisted dying