guillotine noun (DEVICE) - definition in British English Dictionary & Thesaurus

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/ˈgɪl.ə.tiːn/ n

Definition

•

[C or S] a device, invented in France, consisting of a sharp blade in a tall frame which was used in the past for killing criminals by cutting off their heads

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette went to the guillotine (= were killed by the guillotine) during the French Revolution.

•

[C] UK a device with a long sharp blade which is used for cutting large quantities of paper

(Definition of guillotine noun (DEVICE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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