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massacre

noun
/ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/

Etymology

1580, from Middle French massacre, from Old French macacre, marcacre, macecre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), usually thought to be deverbal from Old French macecrer, macecler (“to slaughter”), though the noun seems to be attested somewhat earlier. It is also found in Medieval Latin mazacrium (“massacre, slaughter, killing”, also “the head of a newly killed stag”). Further origin disputed: * From Latin macellum (“butcher shop”). * From Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea, mattia, from Latin mateola. * From Middle Low German *matskelen (“to massacre”) (compare German metzeln (“massacre”)), frequentative of matsken, matzgen (“to cut, hew”), from Proto-West Germanic *maitan, from Proto-Germanic *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- (“small”). Akin to Old High German meizan (“to cut”) among others. * Note also Arabic مَجْزَرَة (majzara), originally “spot where animals are slaughtered”, now also “massacre”, and in Maghrebi Arabic “slaughterhouse”. Derived from جَزَرَ (jazara, “to cut, slaughter”).

  1. derived from *mei-✻
  2. derived from *maitaną✻
  3. derived from *maitan✻
  4. derived from *matskelen✻
  5. derived from macellum
  6. derived from mazacrium
  7. derived from macecrer
  8. derived from macacre
  9. borrowed from massacre

Definitions

  1. The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no…

    The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and/or contrary to civilized norms.

    • St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
    • Massacres of Diyarbekir
    • St. Valentine's Day Massacre

  2. Murder.

    • The tyrannous and bloody act is done,— The most arch deed of piteous massacre That ever yet this land was guilty of.

  3. Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.

  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. To kill in considerable numbers where little or no resistance can be made, with…

      To kill in considerable numbers where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to civilized norms. (Often limited to the killing of human beings.)

      • If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximilian had massacred the Theban legion

    2. To win against (an opponent) very decisively.

    3. To perform (a work, such as a musical piece or a play) very poorly.

    4. To kill with great force or brutality.

      • Look how they massacred my boy.

The neighborhood

Derived

massacrist, massacrous, St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, unmassacred

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for massacre. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA