Definition of "electrocute" [e•lec•tro•cute]

• To kill with electricity: a worker who was electrocuted by a high-tension wire. (verb-transitive)
• To execute (a condemned prisoner) by means of electricity. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The object was to deter evildoers by surrounding the penalty with scientific horror, [Footnote: Hence also the new lingual atrocity, the word "electrocute," derived from "execute" by decapitation and the addition of "electro"] and the idea had its origin in the accidents which formerly occurred much more frequently than now."
• "Inquisitors have some powerful attacks at their command, such as electrocute, which unleashes a devastating lightning storm."
• "Also we will fly the inventor from the UK to demonstrate how best to electrocute lobsters!"