guillotine

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈɡɪlətiːn/ or /ˌɡɪləˈtiːn/ or /ˌɡiːjəˈtiːn/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈɡɪləˌtin/ or /ˈɡi(j)əˌtin/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: guil‧lo‧tine

Noun

Singular guillotine

Plural guillotines

A guillotine

1. (figurative) A guillotine is a machine used for capital punishment by cutting of a person's head (decapitation). It is made of a tall frame and has a suspended heavy blade which is dropped onto the neck of the person to be executed.
2. (countable) (by extension) A guillotine is a device or machine with a cutting blade.

Verb

Plain form guillotine

Third-person singular guillotines

Past tense guillotined

Past participle guillotined

Present participle guillotining

1. (transitive) If you guillotine someone or something, you use a guillotine on them.