hara-kiri

[ hahr-uh-keer-ee, har-uh-, har-ee- ]
See synonyms for hara-kiri on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also called seppuku. ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practiced in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced or sentenced to death.

  2. suicide or any suicidal action; a self-destructive act: political hara-kiri.

Origin of hara-kiri

1
First recorded in 1855–60; from Japanese, equivalent to hara “belly” (earlier fara, from unattested para ) + kiri “cut”
  • Also ha·ri-ka·ri [hahr-ee-kahr-ee, har-ee-kar-ee] /ˈhɑr iˈkɑr i, ˈhær iˈkær i/ .

Words Nearby hara-kiri

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hara-kiri in a sentence

  • He took it with the expression of one to whom a nice, shiny blade has just been handed for purposes of hara-kiri.

    Little Miss Grouch | Samuel Hopkins Adams

British Dictionary definitions for hara-kiri

hara-kiri

hari-kari (ˌhærɪˈkɑːrɪ)

/ (ˌhærəˈkɪrɪ) /


noun
  1. (formerly, in Japan) ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword when disgraced or under sentence of death: Also called: seppuku

Origin of hara-kiri

1
C19: from Japanese taboo slang, from hara belly + kiri cutting

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for hara-kiri

hara-kiri

[ (har-i-keer-ee, hahr-uh-keer-ee) ]


A ritual of suicide, associated with warriors in traditional Japanese society.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.