bloodletting

1. Formerly used as a treatment to reduce excess blood (one of the four humors of medieval medicine) (synset 100699257)
   referred to in:

   • medical specialty, medicine - the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
   • dark ages, middle ages - the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance
   is a type of: medical aid, medical care - professional treatment for illness or injury
   subtypes:

   • phlebotomy, venesection - surgical incision into a vein; used to treat hemochromatosis
   • cupping - a treatment in which evacuated cups are applied to the skin to draw blood through the surface
2. Indiscriminate slaughter (synset 100225127)
   "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"
   is a type of: butchery, carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter - the savage and excessive killing of many people
   same as: battue, bloodbath, bloodshed

Other Searches

• Rhyme: Dillfrog, RhymeZone
• Definition: Wiktionary, Dictionary.com, Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, WordNet, Power Thesaurus
• Imagery: Google, Flickr, Bing