1. the former medical practice of withdrawing blood from a patient to treat illness
Usage: historical; medical
2. violence or killing, especially on a large scale

Examples

• Medieval doctors believed bloodletting could cure many diseases.
• The practice of bloodletting was common until the 19th century.
• Modern medicine has abandoned bloodletting as a treatment.
• The war resulted in terrible bloodletting on both sides.
• The revolution led to years of political bloodletting.
• Historians documented the bloodletting that followed the invasion.