non-lethal

adj, noun — 3 senses

non-lethal

adj

Etymology From non- + lethal.

1

Not capable of causing death.

a non-lethal dose

2

Designed to cause incapacitation without causing death.

Government officials think a universal malodor, or offensive odor, might prove effective as a non-lethal weapon.

non-lethal

noun

Etymology From non- + lethal.

1

Any weapon that incapacitates without causing death.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.