1. (n.) The act of beheading or state of one beheaded; -- especially used of the execution of St. John the Baptist.

2. (n.) A painting representing the beheading of a saint or martyr, esp. of St. John the Baptist.

amputate battle-ax beheading bisect blade block boot out bounce burning butcher can capital punishment carve cashier cashiering chop cleave cold steel conge cross crucifixion cut cut away cut in two cut off cutlery cutter dagger death chair death chamber decapitation decollation defenestration deposal dichotomize discharge disemployment dismissal displacing dissever drop drumming out edge tools electric chair electrocution excise execution fire firing fissure forced separation furloughing fusillade gallows gallows-tree garrote gas chamber gash gassing gibbet guillotine hack halberd halter halve hanging hatchet hemlock hemp hempen collar hew hot seat incise jigsaw judicial murder kick out knife lance lapidation layoff lethal chamber maiden naked steel necktie party noose pare pigsticker pink slip point poisoning poleax prune puncturer removal rend retirement rive rope sack saw scaffold scissor sever sharpener shooting slash slice slit snip split stake steel stoning strangling strangulation sunder surplusing suspension sword tear terminate the ax the block the boot the bounce the chair the gallows the gas chamber the gate the guillotine the hot seat the rope the sack ticket toad sticker tomahawk tree walking papers whittle