SINCE 1828
hara-kiri
noun
\ ˌher-i-ˈkir-ē
, ˌha-ri-, -ˈker-ē, -ˈka-rē\
, ˌha-ri-, -ˈker-ē, -ˈka-rē\
variants:
or less commonly hari-kari
Definition of hara-kiri
1
: ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty
2
: suicide sense 1b
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