Mr_Chubkins
Mr_Chubkins t1_j29jqy7 wrote
Reply to comment by radio_allah in TIL Archduchess Mathilde of Austria accidentally set her dress alight and immolated herself while trying to hide a cigarette from her father by Brotherdodge
An electrocution. The person you replied to was incorrect.
Mr_Chubkins t1_j2a2olv wrote
Reply to comment by SplittingHares in TIL Archduchess Mathilde of Austria accidentally set her dress alight and immolated herself while trying to hide a cigarette from her father by Brotherdodge
It can be, but is not always. From Merriam-Webster Dictionary: electrocute, verb, to kill or severely injure by electric shock.
I understand that the origins of the word come from execute, and that its original meaning was always to kill with electricity, but that is no longer the case. Just as how decimate used to mean killing 10% but now has further meaning, so does electrocution.