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  1. Dictionary
    guillotine
    /ˈɡɪlətiːn/

    noun

    • 1. a machine with a heavy blade sliding vertically in grooves, used for beheading people.

    verb

    • 1. execute (someone) by guillotine.

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    More definitions, origin and scrabble points

  2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishGUILLOTINE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

    a device, invented in France, consisting of a sharp blade in a tall frame, used in the past for killing criminals by cutting off their heads: go to the guillotine King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette went to the guillotine (= were killed by the guillotine) during the French Revolution. koya79/iStock/Getty Images Plus/GettyImages. [ C ] UK.

  3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › guillotinGuillotine Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of GUILLOTINE is a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides. How to use guillotine in a sentence.

  4. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › GuillotineGuillotine - Wikipedia

    A guillotine ( / ˈɡɪlətiːn, - loʊ -/ GHIH-lə-teen, -⁠loh-) is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top.

  5. www.dictionary.com › browse › guillotineGUILLOTINE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

    A machine designed for beheading people quickly and with minimal pain. The guillotine, which used a large falling knife blade, was devised by a physician, Joseph Guillotin, during the French Revolution and was used as the official method of execution in France until the twentieth century.

  6. www.britannica.com › topic › guillotineGuillotine | Facts, Inventor, & History | Britannica

    Guillotine, instrument for inflicting capital punishment by decapitation, introduced in France in 1792. It consists of two posts surmounted by a crossbeam and grooved so as to guide an oblique-edged knife, the back of which is weighted to make it fall forcefully upon and slice through the neck of a prone victim.

  7. www.thefreedictionary.com › guillotineGuillotine - definition of guillotine by The Free Dictionary

    Define guillotine. guillotine synonyms, guillotine pronunciation, guillotine translation, English dictionary definition of guillotine. n. 1. A device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead a person condemned to die. 2. An instrument, such as a...

  8. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › guillotineGuillotine - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

    Invented in France, the guillotine is a device used to behead people convicted of crimes. The guillotine was named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a French doctor who promoted the machine because it was a quicker and more humane way to cut off a person’s head. Guillotine is also as verb.

  9. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishGUILLOTINE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

    A guillotine is a device for cutting paper, sheet metal, or other sheet materials. It consists of a blade that is brought down onto the sheet.

  10. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishguillotine noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage...

    Definition of guillotine noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  11. www.yourdictionary.com › guillotineGuillotine Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary

    Guillotine definition: A device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead a person condemned to die.