Guillotine (noun)

1. A device consisting of a tall frame in which a weighted and angled blade is suspended so that it can slide down to sever the head from the body of a person placed beneath it.
2. A machine for cutting paper, cloth, etc.
3. A similar device for killing animals.

Origin:

Named after joseph-ignace guillotin, who proposed the use of the device in 1789.

Examples:

1. During the French Revolution, thousands of people were executed by guillotine.
2. The guillotine was used as the main method of execution in France until the death penalty was abolished in 1981.
3. The guillotine cuts paper cleanly and quickly, making it a useful tool for printers and bookbinders.
4. The machine used to behead chickens at the slaughterhouse is often called a guillotine.
5. The guillotine was invented by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin in 1792, as a more humane method of execution than hanging or beheading by axe.