definitions

bloodletting

[ bluhd-let-ing ]
/ ˈblʌdˌlɛt ɪŋ /
|

noun

the act or practice of letting blood by opening a vein; phlebotomy.
bloodshed or slaughter.
bloodbath.
Informal. severe cutbacks or reduction in personnel, appropriations, etc.: The company went through a period of bloodletting in the 1970s.

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Nearby words

bloodguilty, bloodhound, blooding, bloodless, bloodless operation, bloodletting, bloodline, bloodmobile, bloodnoun, bloodroot, bloodshed

Origin of bloodletting

First recorded in 1175–1225, bloodletting is from the Middle English word blod letunge. See blood, let1, -ing1

Related forms

blood·let·ter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blood-letting

British Dictionary definitions for blood-letting

blood-letting

/ (ˈblʌdˌlɛtɪŋ) /

noun

the therapeutic removal of blood, as in relieving congestive heart failureSee also phlebotomy
bloodshed, esp in a blood feud
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

Medicine definitions for blood-letting

bloodletting

[ blŭd′lĕt′ĭng ]

n.

The therapeutic removal of blood, usually from a vein.

Related forms

blood′let′ter n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.