Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Causing or capable of causing death: synonym: fatal.
  • adjective Extremely harmful; devastating.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to or capable of causing death; deadly; fatal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid. It is so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.
  • adjective Deadly; mortal; fatal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective deadly; mortal; fatal
  • noun chemistry One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of an instrument of certain death

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin lēthālis, alteration (probably influenced by Lēthē, Lethe) of Latin lētālis, from lētum, death.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin lētālis ("mortal, deadly"), improperly written lethalis, from letum ("death"), improperly written as lethum, as associated with Greek λήθη (lethe, "forgetfulness").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

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Examples

  • In 1934, Stauder coined the term lethal catatonia to characterize an acute, intense excitement state, combining features of mania and delirium, that was associated with fever often high and catatonic signs.

    The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry Michael Alan Taylor 1993

  • When the legislation was considered by parliament, ministers made clear there could be circumstances in which it could be used to authorise what they described as "lethal force".

    Libyan dissidents sue MI6 officer over abduction and torture claims 2012

  • And then just before midnight they'll make calls, one more time, to the governor's office and then also to the courts to make sure that nothing has changed and at that point the warden will give the order to give him what they call a lethal cocktail and then the execution will be taking place.

    CNN Transcript Dec 12, 2005 2005

  • Barak told Israel Radio he didn't expect the International Atomic Energy Agency report to persuade Russia and China to impose what he called "lethal" sanctions on Iran to pressure Tehran to dismantle its nuclear installations.

    Breaking News: CBS News 2011

  • Mr. Barak told Israel Radio he didn't expect the International Atomic Energy Agency report to persuade Russia and China to impose what he called "lethal" sanctions on Iran to pressure Tehran to dismantle its nuclear installations.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed AmY TeiBel 2011

  • When the legislation was considered by parliament, ministers made clear there could be circumstances in which it could be used to authorise what they described as "lethal force".

    The Guardian World News Richard Norton-Taylor 2012

  • Mr. Barak told Israel Radio he didn't expect the International Atomic Energy Agency report to persuade Russia and China to impose what he called "lethal" sanctions on Iran to pressure Tehran to dismantle its nuclear installations.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed AmY TeiBel 2011

  • Barak told Israel Radio he didn't expect the International Atomic Energy Agency report to persuade Russia and China to impose what he called "lethal" sanctions on Iran to pressure Tehran to dismantle its nuclear installations.

    SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter By AMY TEIBEL 2011

  • Dec 11, 2008 | not rated yet | no comments yet (PhysOrg. com) -- In a new tactic in the fight against cancer, Cornell researcher Michael King has developed what he calls a lethal "lint brush" for the blood -- a tiny, implantable device that captures and

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2009

  • The court has for now cleared the way for states to obtain lethal injection drugs from foreign sources.

    Supreme Court OKs Foreign Lethal Injection Drug 2010

Comments

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  • Apparently this has been used as a verb meaning 'kill (animals) painlessly': the O.E.D. quotes newspapers from the Twenties talking about e.g. 'proper lethalling establishments where cats can be put to sleep free of charge'. It seems odd to me to use a word like that and then employ a euphemism a moment later.

    April 28, 2009