bloodletting

[ bluhd-let-ing ]

/ ˈblʌdˌlɛt ɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: bloodletting / bloodlettings on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or practice of letting blood by opening a vein; phlebotomy.

bloodshed or slaughter.

Informal. severe cutbacks or reduction in personnel, appropriations, etc.: The company went through a period of bloodletting in the 1970s.

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Origin of bloodletting

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bloodletting

bloodletter, noun

Words nearby bloodletting

Blood is thicker than water, blood knot, bloodless, bloodless operation, Bloodless Revolution, bloodletting, blood level, blood libel, blood lily, bloodline, blood meal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use bloodletting in a sentence

The bloodletting in Syria has unfolded with deliberate relentlessness.
A New Start To U.S. Policy In Syria Can Save Lives|Tom Perriello|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So the question is, can Lebanon survive the "Lebanonization" of Syria without another abominable round of bloodletting?
Is Syria Being 'Lebanized' or is Lebanon Being 'Syrianized'?|Hussein Ibish|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As bloodletting continues and criminals take advantage of the political chaos, ordinary Egyptians are arming themselves.
Egypt’s Arms Race|Sophia Jones|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He shrugged, “I did not expect it to go on this long,” he said of the bloodletting that had cost 100,000 lives.
In Syria, Europe & Boston, the Past Is Never Finished|Kati Marton|May 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Meantime, Syrians still drown in bloodletting, chaos, and refugees, while the Assad side weakens only by endless inches.
How to Save Syria From al Qaeda|Leslie H. Gelb|February 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I had no love for Shawnee or Mingo, but my mind held room for something besides schemes for bloodletting.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
A little bloodletting would do Falkner no harm—or, for the matter of that, either of them.
A Frontier Mystery|Bertram Mitford
This here business ain't going to be ended without a rare lot of bloodletting.
The Hero of Panama|F. S. Brereton
And so his calomel pill and his bloodletting lancet were carried everywhere with him by the doctor.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross
Bloodletting is the last effect that I ever expected to hear ascribed to this measure.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bloodletting

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

Medical definitions for bloodletting

bloodletting

[ blŭd′lĕt′ĭng ]

The therapeutic removal of blood, usually from a vein.

Other words from bloodletting

blood′let′ter n.

bloodletting

Origin of bloodletting

OTHER WORDS FROM bloodletting

Words nearby bloodletting

Words related to bloodletting

How to use bloodletting in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bloodletting

Medical definitions for bloodletting

Other words from bloodletting