hara-kiri
noun
ˌha-ri-ˈkir-ē 
ˌher-i-,
-ˈka-rē
-ˈker-ē
variants
or less commonly hari-kari
1
: ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty
2
Examples of hara-kiri in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto.
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Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hara-kiri.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Hara-kiri.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hara-kiri. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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