electric chair

/i'lektrik'tʃeə/

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Word: Electric Chair

Part of Speech: Noun

Basic Definition: The "electric chair" is a special chair used in some places to execute (kill) people who have been found guilty of very serious crimes, such as murder. It is designed to deliver a strong electric shock that causes death.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "electric chair" when talking about methods of execution in legal contexts.
• It is mostly used in discussions about crime, punishment, and the justice system.

Example Sentence:

• "In some countries, the electric chair is one of the ways to carry out the death penalty."

Advanced Usage:

• In discussions about ethics, one might say: "Many people debate the morality of using the electric chair as a form of capital punishment."

Word Variants:

• Electricity (noun): The energy that powers the electric chair.
• Electrocution (noun): The act of killing someone by electric shock.
• Execute (verb): To carry out a sentence of death.

Different Meaning:

• Although "electric chair" primarily refers to the execution device, it can also be used metaphorically in literature or conversation to describe a situation that feels very intense or shocking.

Synonyms:

• Death penalty (noun): A legal sentence of death for a crime.
• Capital punishment (noun): Another term for the death penalty.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• There are no direct idioms or phrasal verbs that include "electric chair," but you might hear phrases like "sitting in the hot seat," which means being in a difficult or uncomfortable situation.

Summary:

The electric chair is a significant term in discussions about crime and punishment. It represents a controversial method of execution and raises many ethical questions.

Academic

Noun

1. an instrument of execution by electrocution; resembles an ordinary seat for one person
   • the murderer was sentenced to die in the chair

Synonyms

• chair
• death chair
• hot seat