hara-kiri

American  

[hahr-uh-keer-ee, har-uh-, har-ee-] / ˈhɑr əˈkɪər i, ˈhær ə-, ˈhær i- /

Also hari-kari

noun

1. Also called seppuku.  ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practiced in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced or sentenced to death.

2. suicide or any suicidal action; a self-destructive act.

   political hara-kiri.

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hara-kiri British  

/ ˌhærəˈkɪrɪ, ˌhærɪˈkɑːrɪ /

noun

1. Also called: seppuku.  (formerly, in Japan) ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword when disgraced or under sentence of death

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hara-kiri Cultural  

1. A ritual of suicide, associated with warriors in traditional Japanese society.

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Etymology

Origin of hara-kiri

First recorded in 1855–60; from Japanese, equivalent to hara “belly” (earlier fara, from unattested para ) + kiri “cut”

Example Sentences

"We cannot commit hara-kiri with the hope of hurting Russia"

From Reuters

But in the case of Yukio Mishima, the Japanese author known for novels including “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” who died by ritual hara-kiri suicide in 1970,these two dimensions are neck and neck.

From New York Times

He favored quick, dramatic moves; on his first day at Dunlop, he ousted 11 of the company’s 13 board members, something The Times of London deemed “management by hara-kiri.”

From Seattle Times

The samurai practice of seppuku, or hara-kiri, was something he had described in gory detail a decade earlier in his short story “Patriotism”:

From Washington Post

Campaign strategists largely regard unprompted confessionals as a pointless form of political hara-kiri.

From Washington Post