Reply to post: Re: Beautiful

When the IT department speaks, users listen. Or face the consequences

Kiwi

Re: Beautiful

Electrocution means death via electric shock, nothing less.

No.

See https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/electrocution-a-shocking-misuse/ for a start.

In my area it's pretty commonly used for what you call a 'shock', including in safety material (I can recall one back in the '90s using a phrase very similar to 'One of the more embarrassing possibilities of electrocution is the loss of bladder or bowel control" - point being that a) 'electrocution' was definitely used and b) survival with little or no actual injury was expected.

Most of the overseas dictionaries do agree with you (well except the part about meaning nothing less than death - they almost all say "severe injury or death" (paraphrased)), as does the etymology - but that ain't often stopped words getting into common and even correct use :)

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