Definition of euthanasia
: 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
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Examples of euthanasia in a Sentence
a physician who refuses to practice euthanasia
Recent Examples of euthanasia from the Web
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Gorsuch received a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford, and worked on a thesis critical of euthanasia and assisted suicide that became the basis for a book.
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Wharton wrote about euthanasia again in her 1907 novel The Fruit of the Tree, in which a similar ethical dilemma serves as a major plot point.
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This time, the Supreme Court struck down the criminal sanctions against medical professionals who assist in suicide and perform euthanasia in prescribed circumstances.
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In this Best Foreign Film Oscar-winner, Javier Bardem stars as quadriplegic assisted suicide activist Ramón Sampedro, a man whose decades-long struggle to die peacefully became a central case in the public conversation over euthanasia in Spain.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'euthanasia'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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.
Origin and Etymology of euthanasia
Greek, easy death, from euthanatos, from eu- + thanatos death — more at thanatos
EUTHANASIA Defined for English Language Learners
euthanasia
playDefinition of euthanasia for English Language Learners
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: the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering
Medical Dictionary
euthanasia
playMedical Definition of euthanasia
: 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
Law Dictionary
Learn More about euthanasia
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See words that rhyme with euthanasia Spanish Central: Translation of euthanasia Nglish: Translation of euthanasia for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of euthanasia for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about euthanasia
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