Main Entry: guil·lo·tine

Pronunciation: \ˈgi-lə-ˌtēn; ˌgē-(y)ə-ˈ, ˈgē-(y)ə-ˌ\

Function: noun

Etymology: French, from Joseph Guillotin †1814 French physician

Date: 1793

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