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definitions

lethal

[lee-thuh l]
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or causing death; deadly; fatal: a lethal weapon; a lethal dose.
  2. made or carried out to cause death: a lethal chamber; a lethal attack.
  3. causing great harm or destruction: The disclosures were lethal to his candidacy.

Origin of lethal

1575–85; < Latin lētālis, equivalent to lēt(um) death + -ālis -al1; spelling (hence pronunciation) with -h- by association with Greek lḗthē oblivion
Related formsle·thal·i·ty, le·thal·ness, nounle·thal·ly, adverbhy·per·le·thal, adjectivenon·le·thal, adjectivenon·le·thal·ly, adverbsem·i·le·thal, adjective

Synonyms for lethal

1. See fatal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nonlethal

Contemporary Examples of nonlethal

British Dictionary definitions for nonlethal

nonlethal

adjective
  1. not resulting in or capable of causing death

lethal

adjective
  1. able to cause or causing death
  2. of or suggestive of death
Derived Formslethality (liːˈθælɪtɪ), nounlethally, adverb

Word Origin for lethal

C16: from Latin lēthālis, from lētum 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 nonlethal

lethal

adj.

1580s, from Late Latin lethalis, alteration of Latin letalis "deadly, fatal," from letum "death," of uncertain origin. Form altered in Late Latin by association with lethe hydor "water of oblivion" in Hades in Greek mythology, from Greek lethe "forgetfulness."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
nonlethal in Medicine

lethal

[lē′thəl]
adj.
  1. Capable of causing death.
  2. Of, relating to, or causing death.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.