electrocution

See also: électrocution

English

Etymology

From electrocute +‎ -ion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˌlɛktɹəˈkjuːʃən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

electrocution (countable and uncountable, plural electrocutions)

1. The accidental death or suicide by electric shock.
2. Deliberate execution by electric shock, usually involving an electric chair.
3. (informal) A severe electric shock, whether fatal or not.

Usage notes

Formally, the words electrocution and electrocute imply fatality (and originally referred specifically to judicial execution, although the latter distinction has fallen out of use). Informally, however, these terms are sometimes used to refer to serious but nonfatal electric shocks. Preferred usage is to normally reserve electrocution for fatal electric shocks, and to use shock or electric shock for nonfatal ones.

Derived terms

• electrocutioner

 

Translations

accidental death or suicide by electric shock

• Catalan: electrocució (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 電死 / 电死 (zh) (diànsǐ)

• Dutch: elektrocutie (nl) f
• Finnish: sähkökuolema
• French: électrocution (fr) f
• German: Tod durch Stromschlag m, Tod infolge elektrischen Schlags
• Greek: ηλεκτροπληξία (el) f (ilektroplixía)
• Italian: elettrocuzione f, fulminazione (it) f
• Japanese: 感電死 (kandenshi)
• Portuguese: eletrocussão (pt) f
• Romanian: electrocutare (ro) f
• Russian: сме́рть от электри́ческого то́ка f (smértʹ ot elektríčeskovo tóka), смерте́льная электротра́вма f (smertélʹnaja elektrotrávma) (medical term)
• Spanish: electrocución f

deliberate execution by electric shock

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 電刑 / 电刑 (zh) (diànxíng)

• Finnish: sähköteloitus
• French: électrocution (fr) f
• German: Hinrichtung auf dem elektrischen Stuhl f
• Hungarian: villamosszékben való/történő kivégzés
• Japanese: 電気椅子刑 (denki isu kei)
• Russian: казнь на электри́ческом сту́ле f (kaznʹ na elektríčeskom stúle)

a severe electric shock

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 觸電 / 触电 (zh) (chúdiàn)

• Finnish: sähköisku (fi)
• French: électrocution (fr) f
• German: Stromschlag (de) m, Elektroschock (de) m
• Hungarian: áramütés (hu)
• Polish: porażenie prądem n
• Russian: пораже́ние (электри́ческим) то́ком n (poražénije (elektríčeskim) tókom), уда́р (электри́ческим) то́ком m (udár (elektríčeskim) tókom), электроглуше́ние n (elektroglušénije) (of animals before killing)

See also

• execution