electrocute

See also: électrocute, électrocuté, and electrocuté

English

Etymology

Blend of electro- +‎ execute.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈlɛktɹəkjuːt/, /əˈlɛktɹəkjuːt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

Verb

electrocute (third-person singular simple present electrocutes, present participle electrocuting, simple past and past participle electrocuted)

1. (transitive) To kill by electric shock.

   Her hairdryer fell into the tub while she was bathing, and she was electrocuted.

2. (transitive) To execute by electric shock, often by means of an electric chair.

   Synonym: (slang) fry

   The executioner threw the switch on Old Sparky, and the condemned prisoner was electrocuted for his crimes.

3. (transitive, proscribed, informal) To inflict a severe electric shock (not necessarily fatal) upon.

   Synonyms: electrify, shock, tase, zap

Usage notes

• Formally, the words electrocute and electrocution always imply fatality. Informally, however, these terms are rather often used to refer to serious but nonfatal electric shocks. Standard usage is to reserve electrocute and electrocution for fatal electric shocks, and to use shock or electric shock for nonfatal ones.
• Originally, electrocute and electrocution specifically referred only to judicial execution by electric shock. However, electrocute and electrocution are now used to refer to all fatal electric shocks, even those not used in execution.

Related terms

• electrocution (noun)

Translations

to cause death from immediate complications resulting from electric shock

• Catalan: electrocutar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 電死／电死 (zh) (diànsǐ)

• Czech: (to execute in electric chair) popravit na elektrickém křesle pf; (to kill by electric shock) zabít elektrickým proudem pf
• Dutch: elektrocuteren (nl)
• Finnish: (to execute in electric chair) teloittaa sähkötuolissa; (to die due to accidental electric shock) kuolla sähköiskuun
• French: électrocuter (fr)
• Galician: electrocutar (gl)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: (to execute in electric chair) auf dem elektrischen Stuhl hinrichten; (to kill by electric shock) durch Stromschlag töten
• Greek: ηλεκτρίζω (el) (ilektrízo)
• Hebrew: חישמל למוות (khishmél l'mávet)
• Italian: fulminare (it)
• Luxembourgish: elektrocutéieren
• Portuguese: eletrocutar (pt)
• Russian: казни́ть на электри́ческом сту́ле impf or pf (kaznítʹ na elektríčeskom stúle) (to execute in electric chair), уби́ть то́ком pf (ubítʹ tókom) (to kill with the electric current, accidentally or deliberately)
• Spanish: electrocutar (es)

to inflict a severe electric shock, not necessarily fatally

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 電擊／电击 (zh) (diànjī)

• Finnish: antaa sähköisku
• Russian: бить то́ком impf (bitʹ tókom), уда́рить то́ком pf (udáritʹ tókom)

Portuguese

Verb

electrocute

1. inflection of electrocutar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

electrocute

1. inflection of electrocutar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative