Electrocuted

/ɪˈlɛktrokjuːtɪd/ verb

Definition

Past tense of electrocute: to kill someone by passing a strong electric current through their body, or sometimes to injure them severely with electricity.

Etymology

From 'electric' plus the Latin 'cutus' (suffix for execution methods). The word was invented around 1890 when electric chairs were first used for executions.

Kelly Says

The word 'electrocute' is actually a blend word (called a portmanteau) created specifically for the electric chair—it's a relatively young word, less than 150 years old, invented to describe a new way of execution!

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