Home

Visit Our Sites

Unabridged Dictionary

Learner's Dictionary

Word Central for Kids

Collegiate Dictionary

Premium Services

Unabridged Dictionary

Collegiate Dictionary

Encyclopedia Britannica

Institutional Subscriptions

Citing the Dictionary

Also Visit:
Unabridged

Visual
ESL:
Learner's
for Kids:
Spell It!
Word Central

hara-kiri

Browse the Dictionary:: A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z; #

hara-kiri

Main Entry:: hara–kiri
Variant(s):: also hari–kari \ˌha-ri-ˈkir-ē, -ˈka-rē\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Japanese harakiri, from hara belly + kiri cutting
Date:: 1840

1 : ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty 2 : suicide 1b

Learn more about "hara-kiri" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "hara-kiri" in the Visual Thesaurus

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols