bloodletting meaning and definition

BLOODLETTING noun

Definition of bloodletting (noun)

1. formerly used as a treatment to reduce excess blood (one of the four humors of medieval medicine)
2. indiscriminate slaughter
   • "a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered"; "ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name"; "the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder"; "a huge prison battue was ordered"
   • synonyms: battue, bloodbath, bloodshed