suttee means the traditional custom of a Hindu woman giving herself up to be cremated on her husband’s funeral pyre as a sign of her devotion. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “suttee” is a great word
SUTTEE — [Noun] The historical Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre. From Sanskrit सती (satī́, "good and virtuous or faithful wife"), from सत् (sát, "true, good, right"); in English usage since 1786. Unlike "widowhood," which denotes a state of bereavement, or "martyrdom," which signifies a death for a cause, suttee was the ultimate, literal enactment of a specific wifely ideal. It is the sari catching in the predawn gloom, the crackle of kindling swallowed by a greater roar, and the silhouette that vanishes into a column of heat and smoke—a quiet, brutal alchemy where the ultimate wifely virtue is measured in ashes.
noun
- The traditional custom of a Hindu woman giving herself up to be cremated on her husband’s funeral pyre as a sign of her devotion.