slaughter
[ slaw-ter ]
/ ˈslɔ tər /
noun
the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
the brutal or violent killing of a person.
the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage: the slaughter of war.
verb (used with object)
Origin of slaughter
1250–1300; Middle English
slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun) < Old Norse
slātr, earlier
slāttr, slahtr
SYNONYMS FOR slaughter
2
murder.
4–6
Slaughter,
butcher,
massacre all imply violent and bloody methods of killing.
Slaughter and
butcher, primarily referring to the killing of animals for food, are used also of the brutal or indiscriminate killing of human beings:
to slaughter cattle; to butcher a hog.
Massacre indicates a general slaughtering of helpless or unresisting victims:
to massacre the peasants of a region.
OTHER WORDS FROM slaughter
slaugh·ter·er, noun slaugh·ter·ing·ly, adverb un·slaugh·tered, adjectiveWords nearby slaughter
slatkin,
slattern,
slatternly,
slatting,
slaty,
slaughter,
slaughterhouse,
slaughterman,
slaughterous,
slav,
slav.
Definition for slaughter (2 of 2)
Slaughter
[ slaw-ter ]
/ ˈslɔ tər /
noun
Frank,1908–2001,
U.S. novelist and physician.
Example sentences from the Web for slaughter
British Dictionary definitions for slaughter
slaughter
/ (ˈslɔːtə) /
noun
verb (tr)
Derived forms of slaughter
slaughterer, noun slaughterous, adjectiveWord Origin for slaughter
Old English
sleaht; related to Old Norse
slāttar hammering,
slātr butchered meat, Old High German
slahta, Gothic
slauhts, German
Schlacht battle
Idioms and Phrases with slaughter
slaughter
see like a lamb to the slaughter.