# guillotine

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɪlətiːn/ · frequency rank #28,937

## Definitions
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.
2. A device or machine with a cutting blade.
3. A device or machine with a cutting blade.
4. 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.
5. A legislative motion that debate be ended and a vote taken; a cloture.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French guillotine, named after the French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738–1814), who proposed its use for capital punishment.

## Common misspellings (12)
`gguillotine`, `giullotine`, `guilloitne`, `guillotien`, `guillotinne`, `guillotnie`, `guillottine`, `guilltoine`, `guiloltine`, `guilotine`, `gulilotine`, `ugillotine`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/guillotine