noun · rare

lethal

lethal · lethals

Any weapon that causes deathAny weapon that causes death.

ⓘ

/ˈliː.θəl/

» Tom was executed by lethal injection.

Meaning

3 senses

Any weapon that causes death.
An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.
(uncountable)One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

Examples

35 sentences

Tom was executed by lethal injection.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom is to die by lethal injection tonight.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom is scheduled to die by lethal injection tonight.
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Execution by lethal injection is inhumane.
CC0 · Tatoeba · ddnktr · C1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Is execution by lethal injection unconstitutional?
CC0 · Tatoeba · ddnktr · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthāli

Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).

Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: lethals

Singular	lethal
Plural	lethals

regular

Antonyms

1 antonyms

non-lethal