death panel

English

Etymology

First used in a 2009 Facebook note by U.S. politician Sarah Palin: "... my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care."

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

death panel (plural death panels)

1. (US, originally in right-wing discourse, otherwise humorous) A fictitious government committee which is responsible for choosing which of various patients will receive healthcare, and which withholds life-saving treatment from some in order to reduce costs.

See also

• Palinism
• Appendix:American Dialect Society most outrageous words of the year