bloodletting

blood·let·ting  (bldltng)

n.

1. Bloodshed.

2. The removal of blood, usually from a vein, as a therapeutic measure.

3. The laying off of personnel or the elimination of resources.

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bloodletter n.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bloodletting - formerly used as a treatment to reduce excess blood (one of the four humors of medieval medicine) medical aid, medical care - professional treatment for illness or injury phlebotomy, venesection - surgical incision into a vein; used to treat hemochromatosis cupping - a treatment in which evacuated cups are applied to the skin to draw blood through the surface medical specialty, medicine - the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques Dark Ages, Middle Ages - the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance
	2.	bloodletting - indiscriminate slaughter; "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" bloodbath, bloodshed, battue carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter, butchery - the savage and excessive killing of many people

Translations

bloodletting [ˈblʌdˌletɪŋ] N (Med) → sangría f (fig) → carnicería f, baño m de sangre