euthanize

euthanize

put to death painlessly or allow to die rather than to suffer from an incurable and painful condition: The vet had to euthanize my terminally ill cat.

Not to be confused with:

euphemize – to substitute a mild expression for one thought to be offensive: using to pass air instead of to fart

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

eu·than·ize

 (yo͞o′thə-nīz′) also eu·than·a·tize (yo͞o-thăn′ə-tīz′)

tr.v. eu·than·ized, eu·than·iz·ing, eu·than·iz·es also eu·than·a·tized or eu·than·a·tiz·ing or euthan·a·tiz·es

To subject to euthanasia.

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[euthan(asia) + -ize.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

euthanize

(ˈjuːθəˌnaɪz) or

euthanise

;

euthanaze

(ˈjuːθəˌneɪz) or

euthanase

vb

(Medicine) (tr) to kill (a person or animal) painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

Also called: euthanatize

[C20: back formation from euthanasia]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

eu•tha•nize

(ˈyu θəˌnaɪz)

v.t. -nized, -niz•ing.

to subject to euthanasia.

[1960–65]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.