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hara-kiri definition

hara-kiri (här′ə kir′ē, har′ə-; popularly, her′ē ker′ē)

noun

ritual suicide by cutting the abdomen: it is called seppuku by the Japanese, and was practiced by high-ranking Japanese of the military class in lieu of execution or to avoid disgrace

Etymology: Jpn < hara, belly + kiri, a cutting, cut

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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