bloodletting en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From blood + letting, equal to bloodlet + -ing.
Meanings
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(historical) The archaic practice of treating illness by removing some blood, believed to be tainted, from the stricken person.
The pungent pain, dyspnœa, cephalalgia, redness of the face, pulsations of the heart, strong and rapid, the pulse full and vibrating, induced M. Peyrade, then attached to that hospital, to practise blood-letting in the arm. It was followed with marked relief.
1833, R. J. Bertin, translated by Charles W. Chauncy, Treatise on the Diseases of the Heart, and Great Vessels, Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blnachard, page 207:
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(broadly) The diminishment of any resource with the hope that this will lead to a positive effect.
Only when the bankers and industrialists abroad realized that a ferocious class struggle in Germany was raging did they begin to relent somewhat on their economic bloodletting.
2004 July 1, Leslie Feinberg, “Sexual freedom vs. fascism in Germany”, in Workers World:Yet another round of corporate bloodletting.
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A circumstance, such as a battle, where a large amount of blood is likely to be spilled through violence.
In 1856 Tu Wen-hsiu rose up in rebellion and occupied Ta-li.[...]"The conflict between the Han Chinese and the Moslems began over trifles. It has developed into a tragedy of mutual bloodletting because of poor management by the civil and military officials at Yung-ch'ang county and of Yunnan province. As a result, the mutual killing spread throughout Yunnan. The fault lies not with the people but with the officials."
1981, “Mid-Century Rebels”, in Jeh-hang Lai, transl., edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Chinese Civilization and Society: A Sourcebook, New York: The Free Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 230:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| blood-letting | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bloodlettings | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (47)
pl upust krwi (ancient medical practice) · da åreladning (ancient medical practice) · sv åderlåtning (ancient medical practice) · pl rozlew krwi (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · de Schröpfen (ancient medical practice) · cs pouštění žilou (ancient medical practice) · ko 사혈 (ancient medical practice) · da blodsudgydelse (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · it salasso (ancient medical practice) · uk кровопуска́ння (ancient medical practice) · tl pagtatabad (ancient medical practice) · uk кровопроли́ття́ (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · la missio sanguinis (ancient medical practice) · da åreladning (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · ca sagnia (ancient medical practice) · es sangrado (ancient medical practice) · ja 瀉血 (ancient medical practice) · fi verenvuodatus (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · es sangradura (ancient medical practice) · hu vérontás (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · fr effusion de sang (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · ga cuisleoireacht (ancient medical practice) · ga ligean fola (ancient medical practice) · gl sangría (ancient medical practice) · ru кровопуска́ние (ancient medical practice) · cmn 放血 (ancient medical practice) · pt sangria (ancient medical practice) · ga ródach (ancient medical practice) · uk кровопуска́ння (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · fi suoneniskentä (ancient medical practice) · eo sangeltiro (ancient medical practice) · cy gwaedu (ancient medical practice) · pl przelew krwi (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · de Aderlass (ancient medical practice) · ru кровопроли́тие (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · ga foladóireacht (ancient medical practice) · es sangría (ancient medical practice) · el αφαίμαξη (ancient medical practice) · el αιματοχυσία (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · ar فَصْد (ancient medical practice) · fr saignée (ancient medical practice) · tl padugo (ancient medical practice) · nl aderlating (ancient medical practice) · de Blutvergießen (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · sv blodsutgjutelse (large amount of blood likely to be spilled through violence — see also bloodshed, carnage, massacre) · tl tabad (ancient medical practice) · ga tarraingt fola (ancient medical practice)