blood ‧ let ‧ ting /ˈblʌdˌletɪŋ/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . killing people SYN bloodshed :
The movie contains scenes of violence and bloodletting.
2 . a medical treatment used in the past that involved removing some of a person’s blood
3 . a reduction in the number of people working for an organization, industry etc:
Many jobs have been lost, and the bloodletting isn’t over yet.