Eu`tha*na"si*a (?) n. [NL., fr. Gr. ; well + death, , , to die: cf. F. euthanasie.]
An easy death; a mode of dying to be desired.
"An
euthanasia of all thought."
Hazlitt.
The kindest wish of my friends is euthanasia.
Arbuthnot.
<-- 2. A putting to death for humane purposes. Used to refer to the killing of animals to relieve or avoid pain. -->
© Webster 1913.