bloodletting

[ bluhd-let-ing ]
See synonyms for: bloodlettingbloodlettings on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. bloodshed or slaughter.

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

Origin of bloodletting

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bloodletting in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blood-letting

blood-letting

/ (ˈblʌdˌlɛtɪŋ) /


noun
  1. the therapeutic removal of blood, as in relieving congestive heart failure: See also phlebotomy

  2. bloodshed, esp in a blood feud

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