apparatus designed for carrying out executions by beheading
Guillotine - Wikipedia
standard compressed guillotine
A guillotine (/ˈɡɪlətiːn/ GHIL-ə-teen /ˌɡɪləˈtiːn/ GHIL-ə-TEEN /ˈɡijətin/ GHEE-yə-teen) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Country France
Named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Factsheet
Country France
Named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Guillotine
Guillotine - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - A guillotine (/ˈɡɪlətiːn/ GHIL-ə-teen /ˌɡɪləˈtiːn/ GHIL-ə-TEEN /ˈɡijətin/ GHEE-yə-teen) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top.
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HISTORY
history.com › home › articles › 8 things you may not know about the guillotine | history
8 Things You May Not Know About the Guillotine | HISTORY
Learn eight surprising facts about the execution device once dubbed the “National Razor” of France. ... The name “guillotine” dates to the 1790s and the French Revolution, but similar execution machines had already been in existence for centuries.
Published: May 28, 2025
People also ask

Why was the guillotine banned?
Guillotines were used in a variety of countries well into the 20th century. In most cases, guillotines were banned when countries banned capital punishment outright, as was the case in France.
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study.com
study.com › history courses › ap world history study guide and exam prep
Guillotine | Definition, Invention & History - Lesson | Study.com
What is a simple definition of the word "guillotine"?
Simply put, a guillotine is a machine for cutting off people's heads. It consists of a blade hung between two poles that falls onto the exposed neck of a prisoner, severing the head in one blow.
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study.com
study.com › history courses › ap world history study guide and exam prep
Guillotine | Definition, Invention & History - Lesson | Study.com
Why did France use the guillotine in 1977?
In 1977, France executed Hamida Djandoubi with a guillotine. Djandoubi was convicted of torturing and murdering a young woman. He was the last person to be executed by guillotine in France, and capital punishment was outlawed in 1981.
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study.com
study.com › history courses › ap world history study guide and exam prep
Guillotine | Definition, Invention & History - Lesson | Study.com
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Guillotine | Facts, Inventor, & History | Britannica
3 weeks ago - guillotine, instrument for inflicting capital punishment by decapitation, introduced into France in 1792. The device consists of two upright posts surmounted by a crossbeam and grooved so as to guide an oblique-edged knife, the back of which ...
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Study.com
study.com › history courses › ap world history study guide and exam prep
Guillotine | Definition, Invention & History - Lesson | Study.com
January 29, 2025 - Although the common guillotine definition describes the machine as the first beheading device, that is not quite accurate. It was the first widely used and efficient beheading machine, but it did have a few predecessors. The Halifax Gibbet was a beheading device used in the town of Halifax in Yorkshire, England, in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Students of History
studentsofhistory.com › the-guillotine-during-the-french-revolution
The Guillotine During the French Revolution
Up until the late 1700s, those sentenced to death by decapitation had their heads cut off by swords or axes. Guillotin believed that a machine could be created which would swiftly and effectively decapitate people, sparing them suffering or mangling during their death.
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ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › history-of-the-guillotine-p2-1991842
Off With Their Heads: The History of the Guillotine
January 23, 2019 - Upper-class criminals could buy their way into a less painful death by hanging or beheading. The guillotine is an instrument for inflicting capital punishment by decapitation that came into common use in France after 1792 (during the French ...
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How A Guillotine Execution Worked - YouTube
It was one of the most ruthless execution methods deployed throughout History, but the Guillotine took the heads of thousands. It remained in use in France u...
Published: November 6, 2025
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › guillotine
GUILLOTINE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
2 weeks ago - The meaning of GUILLOTINE is a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides. How to use guillotine in a sentence.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
History of The Guillotine - YouTube
A historical overview of the Guillotine as featured in many movies. Media Featured: More War Movie Content: https://www.youtube.com/johnnyjohnsonesqWar Movie...
Published: June 8, 2026
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Guillotine
guillotine.dk › pages › history.html
The History of the guillotine
Guillotin present his six articles for the second time. ... Offences of the same kind will be punished by the same kind of penalty. ... In all cases where the law imposes the death penalty on an accused person, the punishment shall be the same, whatever the nature of the offence of which he is guilty; the criminal shall be decapitated; this will be done solely by means of a simple mechanism.
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EBSCO
ebsco.com › research-starters › history › france-adopts-guillotine
France Adopts the Guillotine | History | Research Starters | EBSCOhost
The guillotine, a device designed for execution by decapitation, was adopted in France in the late 18th century as a means to create a more humane method of capital punishment. Invented in the context of the French Revolution, the guillotine ...
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History Hit
historyhit.com › home › articles › french revolution and napoleon
France’s Razor: Who Invented the Guillotine? | History Hit
December 9, 2021 - The guillotine is a gruesomely efficient tool of execution and a notorious symbol of the French Revolution. Nicknamed ‘France’s...
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Dictionary.com
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GUILLOTINE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
GUILLOTINE definition: a device for beheading a person by means of a heavy blade that is dropped between two posts serving as guides: widely used during the French Revolution. See examples of guillotine used in a sentence.
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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › guillotine
Guillotine - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
Invented in France, the guillotine is a device used to behead people convicted of crimes.
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Wayne State University
clas.wayne.edu › news › why-the-guillotine-may-be-less-cruel-than-execution-by-slow-poisoning-56131
Why the guillotine may be less cruel than execution by slow poisoning
It would be easy to use, work quickly and offer the same treatment to all condemned, regardless of social standing. His ideas finally became law in March 1791 and the guillotine was used for an execution the following year.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Why the Guillotine Was Invented - YouTube
Why was the guillotine invented — and what dark truths hide behind its sharp blade? In this video, we dive into the brutal origins of the guillotine, how it ...
Published: September 23, 2025
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Collins Dictionary
api.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › guillotine
guillotine - definition of guillotine by HarperCollins
guillotine - definition of guillotine by HarperCollins: a device for cutting or trimming sheet material, such as paper or sheet metal, consisting of a blade inclined at a small angle that descends onto the sheet
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DictClub
dictclub.com › home › dictionary › guillotine
Guillotine (noun) Meaning, Pronunciation & Usage
Guillotine means instrument of execution that consists of a weighted blade between two vertical poles; used for beheading people. Use the related links below to compare nearby vocabulary, move through the same letter group, and keep building ...