bloodletting
bloodletting Lexical Profile
bloodletting Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The surgical withdrawal of blood from a patient's veins, historically practiced via incisions or leeches as a purported cure for various illnesses.
"Before the advent of modern medicine, physicians routinely prescribed bloodletting to treat everything from fevers to headaches."
Bitter division, ruthless conflict, or a large-scale reduction of personnel within an organization or political group.
"The corporate merger was followed by a period of executive bloodletting that saw half the board replaced."
Widespread violence, killing, or bloodshed during a conflict.
"Diplomatic negotiators worked tirelessly through the night to halt the bloodletting between the rival factions."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English blod-leting, a compound of 'blood' and 'let' in the older sense of 'to release or allow to flow out,' referring to the ancient humoral theory that diseases were caused by an excess of blood.