Some definitions of suicide

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Encyclopędia Britannica:

Throughout history, suicide has been both condemned and praised by various societies. It is condemned by Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and attempts are punishable by law in several countries. The Brahmans of India, however, tolerate suicide, and the theoretically voluntary suicide of an Indian widow (suttee), now outlawed, was highly praised at one time. In ancient Greece, convicted criminals were permitted to take their own lives, but the Roman attitude toward suicide hardened toward the end of the empire as a result of the high incidence among slaves, who thus deprived their owners of valuable property.

© 1994-1997 Encyclop&aeligdia Britannica, Inc.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition:

1 a: the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally esp. by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind.

© 1994 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Encarta 98:

Suicide, intentional, self-inflicted death. A uniquely human act, suicide occurs in all cultures. People who attempt or complete suicide usually suffer from extreme emotional pain and distress and feel unable to cope with their problems. They are likely to suffer from mental illness, particularly severe depression, and to feel hopeless about the future.

© 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition:

1. The act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself.

© 1992 Houghton Mifflin Company

The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia:

the deliberate taking of one's own life. It may be dictated by social convention, as with hara-kiri, in Japan, or by custom, as in those primitive societies in which nonproductive elders were expected to end their own lives for the welfare of the group. Long condemned by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, suicide remains a crime in some countries.

© 1995 Columbia University Press

Synonyms from The Original Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases:

(as noun) self-slaughter, self-destruction, felo-de-se, self-immolation, suttee, seppuku, hara-kiri, attempted suicide, mass suicide, lemmings (as verb) kill oneself, do oneself in, do away with oneself, put an end to one's life, hang oneself, shoot oneself, blow out one's brains, cut one's throat, slash one's wrists, fall on one's sword, put one's head in the oven, gas oneself, take poison, take an overdose, jump overboard, drown oneself, get oneself killed, have a fatal accident, die by misadventure

© 1994 Longman Group UK Limited

The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary:

1. The action or an act of intentionally killing oneself.

© 1973, 1993 Oxford University Press

Last update: Saturday, April 10, 1999 11:58