What is the meaning of bloodletting?

noun

  • Formerly used as a treatment to reduce excess blood (one of the four humors of medieval medicine. )
  • Indiscriminate slaughter.
    • usage: "a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered"; "ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name"; "the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder"; "a huge prison battue was ordered"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). bloodletting. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/bloodletting/definitions/1191706
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "bloodletting" http://smartdefine.org/bloodletting/definitions/1191706 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, bloodletting, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/bloodletting/definitions/1191706>.
MLAWordNet. "bloodletting" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/bloodletting/definitions/1191706>
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