Definition

1. Verb:
   • To execute by cutting off the head: The primary meaning of "behead" is to kill someone by removing their head, typically with a sharp instrument like an axe or sword, often as a form of capital punishment.
   • To decapitate: This is a more formal or technical synonym for the act of removing the head from a body.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The tyrant ordered his enemies to be beheaded. (The tyrant commanded that his enemies be executed by having their heads cut off.)
  • In the historical drama, the queen was beheaded for treason. (In the historical drama, the queen was executed by decapitation for the crime of treason.)
  • The guillotine was a machine designed to behead people quickly. (The guillotine was a machine created to decapitate individuals swiftly.)

Advanced Usage

• "to behead someone": This is the standard transitive verb construction.
  • The revolutionary council voted to behead the captured monarch.
• Used in passive voice constructions.
  • Many nobles were beheaded during the purge.

Variants and Related Words

• Beheading (n): The act or instance of cutting off someone's head; execution by decapitation.
  • Public beheadings were once a common spectacle.
• Decapitate (v): A synonym for "behead," often used in medical, scientific, or formal contexts.
  • The statue was decapitated by vandals.

Synonyms

• Decapitate: To cut off the head of.
• Execute: To carry out a sentence of death on (a condemned person). (This is a broader term; "behead" specifies the method.)
• Guillotine: To execute using a guillotine. (This specifies the instrument.)

Related Phrases

• Lose one's head: This idiom can mean literally to be beheaded, or figuratively to panic or lose self-control.
  • Literal: He lost his head on the executioner's block.
  • Figurative: Don't lose your head during the crisis; stay calm.

Notes on Meaning

• Historical/Legal Context: "Behead" strongly connotes a formal, often state-sanctioned, method of execution from historical periods (e.g., medieval Europe, the French Revolution). It is less commonly used for modern killings.
• Formality: The word is neutral in tone but graphic in its literal meaning. It is standard in historical and legal discourse.

Verb

1. cut the head of
   • the French King was beheaded during the Revolution