electrocute
/ɪˈlɛktɹəkjuːt/
electrocute means to kill by electric shock. It carries an Arena rating of 1540, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, electrocute ranks #162 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #399 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #854 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,715 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
electrocute is pronounced /ɪˈlɛktɹəkjuːt/.
Why “electrocute” is a great word
To kill or execute by means of a powerful electric current. The word is a stark blend of *electro-* (from electricity) and *(exe)cute* (meaning to carry out a death sentence), first attested in American English circa 1889 in the context of execution by electric chair. Unlike "shock," which describes a sensation that may be survived, or "execute," a general term for any state-sanctioned killing, to electrocute specifies the fatal mechanism itself. It is the grotesque theater of the electric chair, the sharp smell of ozone and burnt insulation in a prison chamber, and the instant blackening of a careless hand on a live wire—a word that fuses the clinical promise of technology with the ancient, irrevocable fact of mortality.
Etymology
Blend of electro- + execute, after electrocution.
verb
- To kill by electric shock.e.g.“Her hairdryer fell into the tub while she was bathing, and she was electrocuted.”
- To execute by electric shock, often by means of an electric chair.e.g.“The executioner threw the switch on Old Sparky, and the condemned prisoner was electrocuted for his crimes.”
- To inflict a severe electric shock (not necessarily fatal) upon.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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