guillotine

One entry found for guillotine.

Main Entry: guil·lo·tine
Pronunciation: 'gi-l&-"tEn; "gE-(y)&-', 'gE-(y)&-"
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Joseph Guillotin died 1814 French physician
1 : a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides
2 : a shearing machine or instrument (as a paper cutter) that in action resembles a guillotine
3 chiefly British : closure by the imposition of a predetermined time limit on the consideration of specific sections of a bill or portions of other legislative business
- guillotine transitive verb