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View synonyms for hara-kiri

hara-kiri

[ hahr-uh-keer-ee, har-uh-, har-ee- ]

noun

  1. Also called seppuku. ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practiced in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced or sentenced to death.
  2. suicide or any suicidal action; a self-destructive act:

    political hara-kiri.



hara-kiri

/ ˌhærəˈkɪrɪ; ˌhærɪˈkɑːrɪ /

noun

  1. (formerly, in Japan) ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword when disgraced or under sentence of death Also calledseppuku
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


hara-kiri

  1. A ritual of suicide, associated with warriors in traditional Japanese society.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of hara-kiri1

First recorded in 1855–60; from Japanese, equivalent to hara “belly” (earlier fara, from unattested para ) + kiri “cut”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hara-kiri1

C19: from Japanese taboo slang, from hara belly + kiri cutting
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Example Sentences

So I suspect Daschle made it easier for Obama by committing hara-kiri.

Saying a prayer by the water's edge, he committed hara-kiri.

It was with this short sword that the famous hara-kiri was committed.

Now, my readers will understand that hara-kiri, or seppuku, was not a mere suicidal process.

Civil war in America; universal hara-kiri in Europe; the dry rot of wealth wasting itself in self-indulgence.

He took it with the expression of one to whom a nice, shiny blade has just been handed for purposes of hara-kiri.

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