Coup de grâce

Acoup de grâce(/ˌkuːdəˈɡrɑːs/;French:[kudəɡʁɑs]^ⓘ'blow of mercy') is adeathblow to end the suffering of a severelywoundedperson or animal.^[1]^[2]It may be amercy killingofmortally woundedcivilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the sufferer's consent. The meaning has extended to refer to the final event that causes a figurative death.^[2]

Modern law[edit]

Today, a coup de grâce for incapacitated soldiers would be awar crime:thelaws of warmandate caring for the incapacitated and prohibit mercy killing.^[3]

References[edit]

^Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, eds.The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.ISBN 978-0618604999p. 119.
^^a ^bCharles Harrington Elster.The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide for the Careful Speaker.2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2006.ISBN 978-0618423156pp. 110–111.
^Blum, Gabriella (2010)."The Laws of War and the" Lesser Evil "".The Yale Journal of International Law.35(1).hdl:20.500.13051/6604.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2022-03-09.

External links[edit]

The dictionary definition ofcoup de grâceat Wiktionary

[AH-1] Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, eds.The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.ISBN 978-0618604999p. 119.

[Elster-2] Charles Harrington Elster.The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide for the Careful Speaker.2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2006.ISBN 978-0618423156pp. 110–111.

[3] Blum, Gabriella (2010)."The Laws of War and the" Lesser Evil "".The Yale Journal of International Law.35(1).hdl:20.500.13051/6604.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2022-03-09.

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Modern law[edit]

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References[edit]

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