Michael Manning, MD, in his 1998 book Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring?, traced the history of the word euthanasia:

“The term euthanasia… originally meant only ‘good death,’ but in modern society it has come to mean a death free of any anxiety and pain, often brought about through the use of medication. Most recently, it has come to mean ‘mercy killing’ — deliberately putting an end to someone’s life in order to spare the individual’s suffering.”

1998