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Definition of Hara-kiri
1. Noun. Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by samurai in the traditional Japanese society.
Generic synonyms: Self-annihilation, Self-destruction, Suicide
Geographical relationships: Japan, Nihon, Nippon
Definition of Hara-kiri
1. Noun. Ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practised in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced or sentenced to death. ¹
2. Noun. Suicide or any suicidal action. ¹
3. Noun. (by extension figuratively) An act against one's own interests. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Hara-kiri
1. Suicide, by slashing the abdomen, formerly practiced in Japan, and commanded by the government in the cases of disgraced officials; disembowelment; also written, but incorrectly, hari-kari. Origin: Jap, stomach cutting. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Hara-kiri
Literary usage of Hara-kiri
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and edited by Hugh Chisholm (1910)
"More usually the Japanese themselves speak of hara-kiri by its Chinese synonym,
... The performance of hara-kiri carried with it certain privileges. ..."
2. The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and by Hugh Chisholm (1910)
"hara-kiri has been often translated as " the happy dispatch " in ... More usually
the Japanese themselves speak of hara-kiri by its Chinese synonym, ..."
3. Tales of Old Japan (1908)
"SEPPUKU (hara-kiri} is the mode of suicide adopted amongst Samurai when they have
no alternative but to die. Some there are who thus commit suicide of their ..."
4. The United Service (1905)
"hara-kiri! The word has been before us. of late, at every turn. In translating
it the English equivalent is often given as "disembowelling"—a ghastly term, ..."
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