Bloodletting

(n.) The act or process of letting blood or bleeding, as by opening a vein or artery, or by cupping or leeches; -- esp. applied to venesection.

Thesaurus Entries

aspiration, bane, bleeding, blood, bloodshed, braining, broaching, cupping, dealing death, destruction, destruction of life, dispatch, drafting, drainage, draining, drawing, emptying, euthanasia, execution, extermination, flow of blood, gore, immolation, kill, killing, lapidation, leeching, martyrdom, martyrization, mercy killing, milking, phlebotomy, pipetting, poisoning, pumping, ritual killing, ritual murder, sacrifice, shooting, siphoning, slaughter, slaying, stoning, sucking, suction, taking of life, tapping, venesection