Euthanize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/

Definitions

1. To intentionally cause death to alleviate significant suffering in either animals or humans, generally performed by a qualified individual under ethical circumstances
2. This practice involves the responsible administration of means to end life, aimed at relieving unbearable pain in both human and animal patients
3. To deliberately end the life of a suffering being, whether animal or human, as an act of mercy to relieve pain and distress in a compassionate manner

Etymology: Euthanize is a back-formation: English speakers took the noun "euthanasia" and, working backwards, treated its ending as if it were a verb-forming suffix, producing a new verb in the 1970s. The noun came first, from Greek "euthanasia," meaning "good death," built from "eu," meaning "well" or "good," and "thanatos," meaning "death." The verb therefore runs in reverse to the usual pattern, where a verb is the base and the noun is derived from it. Back-formations like this are common in English. Speakers see a noun ending in a familiar-looking suffix such as "-ation" or "-asia" and create a verb by removing it, so "edit" came from "editor" and "televise" from "television." Euthanize followed the same route, giving English a verb for the act that the noun had long described.

Synonyms: mercifully kill, terminate, put down

Antonyms: rescue, save, preserve