euthanasia

[yoo-thuh-ney-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh]

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.

euthanasia

/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪzɪə /

noun

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

euthanasia

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.

euthanasia

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

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

Other Word Forms

• euthanasiast noun
• euthanasic adjective
• proeuthanasia adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of euthanasia¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of euthanasia¹

C17: via New Latin from Greek: easy death, from _eu- + thanatos death

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on Barron's

For now, as options for how to save the whales continue to be discussed, there's widespread confidence that Marineland's talk of euthanasia is just talk.

Read more on BBC

Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses.

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On a similar note, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said certain aspects of the assisted dying Bill "blur the line" for doctors around euthanasia.

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“But in cases where an animal’s quality of life would be severely compromised, humane euthanasia is sometimes the most compassionate option.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assisted dying