Decapitation is an act of separating the head from the body. Synonyms for decapitating include beheading, guillotining, executing, cutting off, chopping, severing, and slaying. These words have different contexts and connotations, but all refer to taking a life by removing the head. Beheading is often used in the context of royalty or punishment, while guillotining specifically refers to execution by a machine of the same name. Executing is a broader term that can denote different methods of taking a life, while cutting off and chopping describe a more violent means of decapitation. Severing emphasizes the physical disconnection of the head from the body, while slaying is used in a more general sense to describe killing someone.