Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dry guillotine

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.99 in modern English

Syllables: dry guil-lo-tine
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Forced deportation to a penal colony, especially as a punishment during the French Revolution.

Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Nor could they forget the 200-odd priests massacred in the Paris prisons in September 1792, [...] or the 118 who never came back from the dry guillotine that was French Guiana."
"It disposed of political opponents mainly through the ‘dry guillotine’ of deportation rather than by physical liquidation."

Etymology

As an alternative (and bloodless) punishment to the guillotine.

Usage

Questions

What does dry guillotine mean?: Forced deportation to a penal colony, especially as a punishment during the French Revolution.
Where does dry guillotine come from?: As an alternative (and bloodless) punishment to the guillotine.

How to pronounce dry guillotine

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dry guillotine”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dry guillotine”.
Repeat and practice — Say “dry guillotine” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.