decapitation
Severing the neck
Decapitation is the act of cutting off someone's head.
The term applies to executions, accidents, and surgical procedures alike.
Historically, decapitation by sword or axe was considered an honorable death reserved for nobility: The queen faced decapitation at the Tower.
Figuratively, to decapitate an organization is to remove its leadership.
Removal of head
- guillotineVertical beheading apparatus
- scaffoldTemporary elevated work structure
- executionerOne who kills condemned
- bladeFlat cutting edge
block · axe · sword · Anne Boleyn · Marie Antoinette · severed head · headsman · chopping block
Upper vertebral column segment
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
- spinal cordBrain's extension through vertebrae
- carotid arteryMain neck blood vessel
- jugularMain neck blood vessel
neck · severance · trauma · blood loss · decollation · clean cut · sharp blade · tissue
Armed hostile engagement
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
- trophyAward for winning
- swordHilted fighting blade
- samuraiFeudal Japanese military caste
katana · enemy · conquest · ISIS · terrorism · propaganda · psychological warfare · intimidation
Replacement of governing power
- assassinationMurder of a prominent figure
- targeted killingDeliberate state lethal force
- command structureOrder-giving hierarchy
- military strategyArmed forces operational planning
kingpin · hierarchy · chain of command · power vacuum · successor · destabilization · coup · strike
Act of taking away
- topplingCausing to collapse
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- overthrowForcible removal from power
ousting · dethroning · restructuring · demotion · firing · dissolution · collapse · downfall
beheading
Removal of head
- guillotineVertical beheading apparatus
- scaffoldTemporary elevated work structure
- executionerOne who kills condemned
blade · block · axe · sword · Anne Boleyn · Marie Antoinette · severed head · headsman · chopping block · condemned
cervical spine
Upper vertebral column segment
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
- spinal cordBrain's extension through vertebrae
- carotid arteryMain neck blood vessel
jugular · neck · severance · trauma · blood loss · decollation · clean cut · sharp blade · tissue · cartilage
combat
Armed hostile engagement
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
- trophyAward for winning
- swordHilted fighting blade
samurai · katana · enemy · conquest · ISIS · terrorism · propaganda · psychological warfare · intimidation · war crime
regime change
Replacement of governing power
- assassinationMurder of a prominent figure
- targeted killingDeliberate state lethal force
- command structureOrder-giving hierarchy
military strategy · kingpin · hierarchy · chain of command · power vacuum · successor · destabilization · coup · strike · operation
removal
Act of taking away
- topplingCausing to collapse
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
overthrow · ousting · dethroning · restructuring · demotion · firing · dissolution · collapse · downfall · unseating
- causes of deathcardiac arrest, heart attack, drowning, suffocation, strangulation
- executionexecution, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair
- punishmentsjail, prison, timeout, grounded, fine
- violenceviolence, physical attack, brutality, physical violence, aggression
- Chinese lawcriminal code, marriage law, inheritance law, judicial reform, penal servitude
- executionsexecution, execution chamber, hanging, guillotine, executioner
decapitationstrangulation
Death by neck compression
suffocation · drowning · poisoning · electrocution · lethal injection
decapitationreattachment
Reconnecting something separated
restoration · wholeness · healing · preservation · reassembly
decapitationcoronation
Ceremony installing a sovereign
inauguration · enthronement · installation · appointment · empowerment
- decapitation strikeAttack on enemy command