bloodletting

/ˌblʌdˈlɛdɪŋ/

/ˈblʌdlɛtɪŋ/

Other forms: bloodlettings

Definitions of bloodletting

1. noun

   formerly used as a treatment to reduce excess blood (one of the four humors of medieval medicine)
   types:

   phlebotomy, venesection

   surgical incision into a vein; used to treat hemochromatosis

   cupping

   a treatment in which evacuated cups are applied to the skin to draw blood through the surface

   type of:

   medical aid, medical care

   professional treatment for illness or injury
2. noun

   indiscriminate slaughter
   “ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name”

   synonyms: battue, bloodbath, bloodshed

   type of:

   butchery, carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter

   the savage and excessive killing of many people