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
- sutteeism noun
Etymology
Origin of suttee
C18: from Sanskrit satī virtuous woman, from sat good
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
Did we wait until India herself asked for the abolition of suttee?
From Lotus Buds by Carmichael, Amy
Definitions 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.
