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hara-kiri
[ hahr-uh-keer-ee, har-uh-, har-ee- ]
noun
- 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.
- suicide or any suicidal action; a self-destructive act:
political hara-kiri.
hara-kiri
/ ˌhærɪˈkɑːrɪ; ˌhærəˈkɪrɪ /
noun
- (formerly, in Japan) ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword when disgraced or under sentence of death Also calledseppuku
hara-kiri
- A ritual of suicide, associated with warriors in traditional Japanese society.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of hara-kiri1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of hara-kiri1
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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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