Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- the act or practice of letting blood by opening a vein; phlebotomy.
- bloodshed or slaughter.
- bloodbath.
- Informal. severe cutbacks or reduction in personnel, appropriations, etc.: The company went through a period of bloodletting in the 1970s.
noun
- the therapeutic removal of blood, as in relieving congestive heart failureSee also phlebotomy
- bloodshed, esp in a blood feud
also bloodletting, early 13c., blod letunge, from blood (n.) + let (v.). Hyphenated from 17c., one word from mid-19c. Old English had blodlæte “blood-letting.”
n.
- The therapeutic removal of blood, usually from a vein.