noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɡɪlətiːn/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɡɪləˈtiːn/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɡiːjəˈtiːn/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈɡɪləˌtin/
General-American:/ˈɡi(j)əˌtin/
CMU ARPABET:G IH1 L AH0 T IY2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:G IY1 Y AH0 T IY2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation, consisting of a tall upright frame from which is suspended a heavy diagonal-edged blade which is dropped onto the neck of the person to be executed; also, execution using this machine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: also, figuratively, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A device or machine with a cutting blade.
A device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges, usually by means of a hinged or sliding blade attached to a flat platform.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A device or machine with a cutting blade.
An instrument with a sliding blade for cutting the tonsils, uvula, or other body parts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Topics: medicine, sciences, surgery
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
A parliamentary procedure for fixing the dates when various stages of discussion of a bill must end, to ensure that the enactment of the bill proceeds expeditiously.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, broadly, informal
Topics: government, law, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A legislative motion that debate be ended and a vote taken; a cloture.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, broadly, informal
Topics: government, law, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To use a guillotine (on someone or something).
To execute (someone) with a guillotine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: also, figuratively, transitive
Examples
Many counterrevolutionaries were guillotined during the French Revolution.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To use a guillotine (on someone or something).
To cut or trim (a body part, a stack of paper, etc.) with a guillotine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To end discussion (about a parliamentary bill or part of one) by invoking a guillotine procedure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, informal, transitive
Topics: government, law, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To end (a legislative debate) by invoking cloture.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, informal, transitive
Topics: government, law, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To end anything abruptly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
instrument of execution that consists of a weighted blade between two vertical poles; used for beheading people
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: instrument of execution
12
noun
Meaning 12
closure imposed on the debate of specific sections of a bill
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: closure by compartment
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: closure, cloture, gag rule, gag law
13
verb
Meaning 13
kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decapitate, behead, decollate
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French guillotine, named after the French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738–1814), who proposed its use for capital punishment.
Borrowed from French guillotiner (“to execute with a guillotine, to guillotine”), from guillotine (see etymology 1) + -er (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs).
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
gijotinë
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Arabic:
مِقْصَلَة
(miqṣala)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Arabic:
جيلوتين
(gilyotin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Armenian:
գիլյոտին
(gilyotin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Armenian:
կառափնատ
(kaṙapʻnat)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Azerbaijani:
gilyotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Belarusian:
гільяці́на
(hilʹjacína)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Belarusian:
гільяты́на
(hilʹjatýna)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Bulgarian:
гилоти́на
(gilotína)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Catalan:
guillotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Chinese Cantonese:
斷頭台 /断头台
(dyun6 tau4 toi4)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Chinese Mandarin:
斷頭台 /断头台
(duàntóutái)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Czech:
gilotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Danish:
guillotine
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Dutch:
guillotine
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Dutch:
valbijl
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Esperanto:
gilotino
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Estonian:
giljotiin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Finnish:
giljotiini
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
French:
guillotine
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Georgian:
გილიოტინა
(gilioṭina)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
German:
Guillotine
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
German:
Fallbeil
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Greek:
λαιμητόμος
(laimitómos)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Greek:
γκιλοτίνα
(gkilotína)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Greek:
καρμανιόλα
(karmanióla)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Hebrew:
גִּילְיוֹטִינָה
(gilyotína)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Hindi:
गिलोटिन
(giloṭin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Hungarian:
nyaktiló
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Hungarian:
guillotine
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Icelandic:
fallöxi
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Ido:
gilotino
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Interlingua:
guillotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Italian:
ghigliottina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Japanese:
ギロチン
(girochin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Japanese:
断頭台
(dantōdai)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Kazakh:
гильотина
(gilotina)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Khmer:
ម៉ាស៊ីនកាត់ក
(maasiinkatkɑɑ)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Korean:
단두대
(dandudae)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Korean:
기요틴
(giyotin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Northern Kurdish:
meşneqe
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Northern Kurdish:
giyotîn
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Kyrgyz:
гильотина
(gilotina)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Ladino:
giyotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Latvian:
giljotīna
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Lithuanian:
giljotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Macedonian:
гилотина
(gilotina)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Malay:
gilotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Norman:
dgilliotinne
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Norwegian Bokmål:
giljotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Norwegian Nynorsk:
giljotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Persian:
گیوتین
(giyotin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Polish:
gilotyna
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Portuguese:
guilhotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Romanian:
ghilotină
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Russian:
гильоти́на
(gilʹotína)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Serbo-Croatian:
гѝљотина
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Serbo-Croatian:
gìljotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Slovak:
gilotína
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Slovene:
giljotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Spanish:
guillotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Swedish:
giljotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Tagalog:
gilyotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Tajik:
гилйотина
(gilyotina)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Thai:
กิโยตีน
(gì-yoo-dtiin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Turkish:
giyotin
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Ukrainian:
гільйоти́на
(hilʹjotýna)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Uzbek:
gilʼotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Venetan:
ghiƚotina
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Vietnamese:
máy chém
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Volapük:
gilyoten
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Yiddish:
גיליאָטין
(gilyotin)
— machine used for the application of capital punishment by decapitation
Catalan:
guillotina
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Finnish:
paperileikkuri
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Finnish:
giljotiini
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
French:
massicot
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
German:
Papierschneider
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Greek:
μαχαίρι
(machaíri)
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Hungarian:
síkvágó
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Norwegian Bokmål:
skjæremaskin
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Portuguese:
guilhotina
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Russian:
ре́зальная маши́на
(rézalʹnaja mašína)
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Russian:
ре́зательная маши́на
(rézatelʹnaja mašína)
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Spanish:
guillotina
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Turkish:
giyotin
— device used for cutting the pages of books, stacks of paper, etc., to straight edges
Catalan:
guillotinar
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Finnish:
teloittaa giljotiinilla
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
French:
guillotiner
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
German:
guillotinieren
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Greek:
αποκεφαλίζω
(apokefalízo)
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Italian:
ghigliottinare
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Polish:
gilotynować
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Polish:
zgilotynować
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Portuguese:
guilhotinar
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Romanian:
ghilotina
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Russian:
казни́ть на гильоти́не
(kaznítʹ na gilʹotíne)
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Russian:
гильотини́ровать
(gilʹotinírovatʹ)
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Spanish:
guillotinar
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Swedish:
giljotinera
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
Volapük:
gilyotenön
— to execute (someone) with a guillotine
