Definition of seppuku
: hara-kiri sense 1
Mishima went back into the building, knelt on the floor and disemboweled himself with a samurai dagger in the ancient rite of seppuku.— Tracy Dahlby Seppuku remains a favorite theme in dramas and movies but has virtually disappeared from real life.— Edwin O. Reischauer
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Who Knew?
-
- What is a ruelle?

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share seppuku
Time Traveler for seppuku
The first known use of seppuku was in 1870
See more words from the same year