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, adjective

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, adjective

Word 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.