suttee
Americannoun
noun
-
the former Hindu custom whereby a widow burnt herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre
-
a Hindu widow who immolated herself in this way
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of suttee
C18: from Sanskrit satī virtuous woman, from sat good
Vocabulary lists containing suttee
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As these things are done in Britain—swiftly—Miliband committed suttee this morning, resigning as Labour’s leader.
From The New Yorker ● May 8, 2015
Even their wives were sacrificed, in the earliest known examples of the patriarchal practice of suttee.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2012
Many abhorrent customs, from slavery to suttee, have drawn strength from the sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2010
The ancient Hindu rite of suttee, requiring a woman to immolate herself on the funeral pyre of her husband, was abolished in British India in 1829.
From Time Magazine Archive
Albuquerque and his successors left almost untouched the customs and constitutions of the 30 village communities on the island, only abolishing the rite of suttee.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
