hara-kiri
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 腹切り (harakiri), ultimately from 腹 (hara, “belly”) + 切る (kiru, “to cut”).
Noun
- Ceremonial suicide by disembowelment, as by slicing open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practised in Japan by the samurai when disgraced or sentenced to death.
- 1899, William George Aston, A History of Japanese Literature, page 231:
- On the downfall of his power in 1867 he was urged by one of his Council to save the honour of his family by a voluntary suicide. He flatly refused to do so and left the room, whereupon his faithful adviser retired to another part of the castle and solemnly performed the hara-kiri.
- Suicide or any suicidal action.
- 2020 January 12, Drachinifel, 47:56 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 076, archived from the original on 26 September 2022:
- ...the report that was issued at the time officially blamed a disgruntled crewman who had been accused of theft and may have decided to do the ultimate hara-kiri, but quite how you prove that I don't know...
- (by extension, figuratively) An act against one's own interests.
- 1982–1983, Paul Johnson, Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties, revised and printed as […] to the Nineties, HarperCollins (2001), →ISBN, page 393:
- Regarded logically, therefore, Japan’s decision to go to war made no sense. It was hara-kiri.
- 2008 April 5, Anurag Prasad, “Virgin Territory”, in Outlook Business, volume 3, number 7, page 50:
- But with GSM players lobbying hard for more spectrum, taking MVNOs on board now would be hara-kiri.
- 1982–1983, Paul Johnson, Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties, revised and printed as […] to the Nineties, HarperCollins (2001), →ISBN, page 393:
Synonyms
- (ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen): seppuku
Translations
ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen
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Dutch
French
Alternative forms
- harakiri (post-1990 spelling)
Pronunciation
- (aspirated h) IPA(key): /a.ʁa.ki.ʁi/
- Rhymes: -i
- Homophones: harakiri, harakiris, hara-kiris
See also
Further reading
- “hara-kiri”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌa.ɾɐ.kiˈɾi/
- Hyphenation: ha‧ra‧ki‧ri
Tagalog
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌhaɾa ˈkiɾi/, [ˌha.ɾɐ ˈki.ɾɪ]
- Hyphenation: ha‧ra-ki‧ri
Further reading
- “hara-kiri” at KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2021
- “hara-kiri”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
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