Meaning of bloodletting

blood•let•ting

Pronunciation: (blud'let"ing), [key]

— n.

the act or practice of letting blood by opening a vein; phlebotomy.
bloodshed or slaughter.
bloodbath.
severe cutbacks or reduction in personnel, appropriations, etc.: The company went through a period of bloodletting in the 1970s.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

See also:

bloodletting (Thesaurus)

Bloodless Revolution blood level

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