Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hara-kiri \Ha"ra-ki`ri\, n. [Jap., stomach cutting.]
   Suicide, by slashing the abdomen, formerly practiced in
   Japan, and commanded by the government in the cases of
   disgraced officials; disembowelment; -- also written, but
   incorrectly, {hari-kari}. --W. E. Griffis.