euthanasia

noun

eu·​tha·​na·​sia ˌyü-thə-ˈnā-zh(ē-)ə 

: the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy

euthanasic

ˌyü-thə-ˈnā-zik 

-sik

adjective

Did you know?

Where does euthanasia come from?

Euthanasia is a mass noun (or noncount noun), that is, a noun used only in the singular form.

The word comes from the Greek euthanatos, which means “easy death.” In English, euthanasia has been used in exactly this sense since the early seventeenth century, when Francis Bacon described the phenomenon as “after the fashion and semblance of a kindly & pleasant sleepe.” Nowadays, the word usually refers to the means of attaining such a death.

Example Sentences

a physician who refuses to practice euthanasia

Recent Examples on the Web

And the victory of National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert, in the Preakness was clouded by the collapse and euthanasia of another Baffert racehorse earlier in the day at Pimlico Race Course. —Victor Mather, New York Times, 25 May 2023

The American Veterinary Medicine Association says shooting dogs is an acceptable means of euthanasia and provides guidelines for euthanizing animals with a firearm. —Warren Kulo | [e-mail], al, 24 Mar. 2023

According to a 2022 article by HorseRookie.com, most forms of chemical euthanasia, combined with sedation, cost $250 or more, depending on the method chosen for disposing of the body. —The Courier-Journal, 27 Apr. 2023

Mississippi law allows for the euthanasia of shelter dogs after a certain number of days, but does not specify the means of euthanizing the animals. —Warren Kulo | [e-mail], al, 24 Mar. 2023

Defense lawyers have called Janice Hunter’s death a matter of euthanasia or assisted suicide, and argued for a sentence that doesn't include prison time. —Menelaos Hadjicostis, ajc, 21 Mar. 2023

Since then, Luxembourg, Colombia, Canada, Spain and New Zealand have passed laws allowing euthanasia. —Michael Lee, Fox News, 10 Oct. 2022

Hank the Tank, an enormous black bear who’s developed a raging appetite for human food, is facing possible euthanasia after breaking into more than two dozen homes in a gated South Lake Tahoe neighborhood over the past seven months. —Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2022

The only differences between the present euthanasia and the normal slaughter are which unkind method of killing will be used and which exploited workers have to do the dirty work. —Michael Pollan, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

Greek, easy death, from euthanatos, from eu- + thanatos death — more at thanatos

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

euthanasia

noun

eu·​tha·​na·​sia ˌyü-thə-ˈnā-zh(ē-)ə 

: the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured persons or animals with as little pain as possible for reasons of mercy

called also mercy killing

Medical Definition

euthanasia

noun

eu·​tha·​na·​sia ˌyü-thə-ˈnā-zh(ē-)ə 

: the act or practice of causing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy

called also mercy killing

Legal Definition

euthanasia

noun

eu·​tha·​na·​sia ˌyü-thə-ˈnā-zhə 

: the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured persons in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy

called also mercy killing

euthanasic

-ˈnā-zik, -sik 

adjective