guillotine
noun/ˈɡɪlətiːn/
/ˈɡɪlətiːn/
- [countable] a machine, originally from France, for cutting people’s heads off. It has a heavy blade that slides down a wooden frame.
- He was sent to the guillotine in January 1793.
- (British English) [countable] a device with a long blade for cutting paper or sheets of metal compare paper cutter
- [singular] (British English, politics) the setting of a time limit on a debate in Parliament
Word Originlate 18th cent.: from French, named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738–1814), the French physician who recommended its use for executions in 1789.
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guillotine