/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪziə; NAmE -ˈneɪʒə/ noun
[ U ] the practice (illegal in most countries) of killing without pain a person who is suffering from a disease that cannot be cured
SYN mercy killing :
They argued in favour of legalizing voluntary euthanasia (= people being able to ask for euthanasia themselves) .
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (in the sense easy death ): from Greek , from eu well + thanatos death.