| 释义 |
euthanasia|juːθəˈneɪzɪə, -sɪə|
[a. Gr. εὐθανασία, f. εὐ- (see eu-) + θάνατ-ος death.]
1. A gentle and easy death.
1646Bp. Hall Balm Gil. 337 But let me prescribe and commend to thee, my sonne, this true spirituall meanes of thine happy Euthanasia. 1709Tatler No. 44 ⁋3 Give me but gentle Death: Euthanasia, Euthanasia, that is all I implore. 1768Burke Corr. (1844) I. 155 At her age, no friend could have hoped for your mother any thing but the Euthanasia. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. v. v, Not a torture death, but a quiet euthanasia. 1875H. C. Wood Therap. (1879) 239 It has been very largely employed to induce euthanasia in advanced stages of phthisis.
fig.1813T. Jefferson Writ. (1830) IV. 224 We must leave..to others..to prepare this euthanasia for Platonic Christianity. 1844Disraeli Coningsby vii. iii, This euthanasia of the day exercises a strange influence on the hearts of those who love.
2. The means of bringing about a gentle and easy death. Also transf. and fig.
1742Hume Essays (1875) I. 120 Death is unavoidable to the political as well as to the animal body. Absolute monarchy..is the easiest death, the true Euthanasia of the British constitution. 1792A. Young Trav. France (1794) I. ii. xi. 414 If they [great cities] conduct easily to the grave, they become the best euthanasia of too much populousness. 1797Hist. Europe in Ann. Reg. 257/1 Sir Francis Burdett..said, that without a reform of Parliament corruption would become the euthanasia of the constitution. 1829Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) I. 12 The true Euthanasia of religious dissension..is in the Thousand-and-One sects, whereof none shall be before or greater than another. 1862Merivale Rom. Emp. (1865) III. xxviii. 335 The true euthanasia she discovered, it is said, in the bite of the asp.
3. In recent use: The action of inducing a gentle and easy death.
Used esp. with reference to a proposal that the law should sanction the putting painlessly to death of those suffering from incurable and extremely painful diseases.
1869Lecky Europ. Morals I. xi. 233 An euthanasia, an abridgement of the pangs of disease. 1873L. A. Tollemache in Fortn. Rev. Feb. 218 All persons who feel a lively interest in the mitigation of human suffering, should rejoice that the very interesting essay on Euthanasia..has been published in a separate form. 1873― in Spectator 22 Feb. 240 Euthanasia would be..no more demoralising than capital punishment.
Hence (rare or nonce-wds.) euthaˈnasian a., of or pertaining to euthanasia. euthaˈnasiast, one who advocates euthanasia. (See euthanasia 3.)
1873Contemp. Rev. XXI. 706 Mankind at different stages of culture differ utterly as to the morality of suicide and ‘euthanasian’ homicide. 1884L. A. Tollemache Stones of Stumbling 5 The Euthanasiasts must be admitted to have gained the day. |