noun a machine with a heavy blade sliding vertically in grooves, used for beheading people.
The guillotine has been used metaphorically in political contexts to refer to swift and decisive actions or decisions.
The guillotine was a device used for carrying out executions by beheading during the French Revolution.
In modern medicine, the term 'guillotine' can refer to a surgical instrument used for amputations or cutting bones.
The guillotine was often used as a method of capital punishment for criminals.
In engineering, a guillotine may refer to a type of shearing machine used to cut materials with a straight edge.
The term 'guillotine' may be used metaphorically by writers to describe a harsh editing or cutting process during the revision of a manuscript.
Psychologists may use the term 'guillotine' to describe a cognitive bias where individuals tend to focus on negative information and overlook positive information.