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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.
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Origin of euthanasia

1640–50; < New Latin < Greek euthanasía an easy death, equivalent to eu- eu- + thánat(os) death + -ia -y3
Related formseu·tha·na·si·ast [yoo-thuh-ney-zee-ast] /ˌyu θəˈneɪ ziˌæst/, nouneu·tha·na·sic [yoo-thuh-ney-zik] /ˌyu θəˈneɪ zɪk/, adjectivepro·eu·tha·na·sia, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for euthanasiast

euthanasia

noun
  1. the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illnessAlso called: mercy killing
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Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for euthanasiast

euthanasia

n.

c.1600, from Greek euthanasia "an easy or happy death," from eu- "good" (see eu-) + thanatos "death" (see thanatology). Sense of "legally sanctioned mercy killing" is first recorded in English 1869.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
euthanasiast in Medicine

euthanasia

(yōō′thə-nā′zhə)
n.
  1. The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
  2. A quiet, painless death.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
euthanasiast in Science

euthanasia

[yōō′thə-nā′zhə]
  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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
euthanasiast in Culture

euthanasia

[(yooh-thuh-nay-zhuh)]

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

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Note

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