electrocute

See also: électrocute, électrocuté, and electrocuté

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

Blend of electro- +‎ execute

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈlektɹəkjuːt/, /əˈlektɹəkjuːt/

Verb

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.

   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.

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.

Synonyms

• (Nonfatal electric shock) electrify

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)

• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: elektrokutieren
• 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)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: antaa sähköisku
• Russian: бить то́ком impf (bitʹ tókom), уда́рить то́ком pf (udáritʹ tókom)

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Portuguese

Verb

electrocute

1. Template:pt-verb-form-of

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Spanish

Verb

electrocute

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of electrocutar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of electrocutar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of electrocutar.

References

Merriam-Webster Dictionary