lethal
[ lee-thuh l ]
/ ˈli θəl /
adjective
of, relating to, or causing death; deadly; fatal: a lethal weapon; a lethal dose.
made or carried out to cause death: a lethal chamber; a lethal attack.
causing great harm or destruction: The disclosures were lethal to his candidacy.
Origin of lethal
1575–85; < Latin
lētālis, equivalent to
lēt(um) death +
-ālis
-al1; spelling (hence pronunciation) with
-h- by association with Greek
lḗthē oblivion
SYNONYMS FOR lethal
1 See
fatal.
OTHER WORDS FROM lethal
Words nearby lethal
leta,
letch,
letchworth,
letdown,
letha,
lethal,
lethal chamber,
lethal dose,
lethal factor,
lethal gene,
lethal midline granuloma
Example sentences from the Web for nonlethal
But drones can be used for nonlethal means as well, such as this project to protect rhinos from poachers in India.
About half of $1.4 billion in promised U.S. nonlethal aid, like helicopters, has been delivered.
2012 Will Be a Decisive Year in Mexico’s Deadly Drug War |Larry Kaplow |January 3, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for nonlethal (1 of 2)
nonlethal
/ (nɒnˈliːθəl) /
adjective
not resulting in or capable of causing death
British Dictionary definitions for nonlethal (2 of 2)
lethal
/ (ˈliːθəl) /
adjective
able to cause or causing death
of or suggestive of death
Derived forms of lethal
lethality (liːˈθælɪtɪ), noun lethally, adverbWord Origin for lethal
C16: from Latin
lēthālis, from
lētum death
Medical definitions for nonlethal
lethal
[ lē′thəl ]
adj.
Capable of causing death.
Of, relating to, or causing death.