Meaning of the word guillotine in English
What does guillotine mean in English? Explore the meaning, pronunciation, and specific usage of this word with Lingoland.
guillotine
US /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/
UK /ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/
Noun
1.
a machine with a heavy blade sliding vertically in grooves, used for beheading people.
Example:
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During the French Revolution, many were executed by the guillotine.
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The museum displayed an old model of a guillotine.
2.
a device for cutting paper or sheet metal, with a hinged blade operated by a lever.
Example:
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He used a paper guillotine to trim the edges of the photographs.
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The metal shop had a large industrial guillotine for cutting steel sheets.
Verb
1.
to cut off someone's head with a guillotine.
Example:
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The revolutionaries threatened to guillotine the king.
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Historically, this method was used to publicly guillotine criminals.
2.
to use a guillotine to cut paper or other materials.
Example:
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The printer needs to guillotine the stack of brochures to the correct size.
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The factory uses automated machines to guillotine large sheets of metal.
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