slaughter

[slaw-ter] /ˈslɔ tər/
noun
1.
the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
2.
the brutal or violent killing of a person.
3.
the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage:
the slaughter of war.
verb (used with object)
4.
to kill or butcher (animals), especially for food.
5.
to kill in a brutal or violent manner.
6.
to slay in great numbers; massacre.
7.
Informal. to defeat thoroughly; trounce:
They slaughtered our team.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun) < Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr
Related forms
slaughterer, noun
slaughteringly, adverb
unslaughtered, adjective
Synonyms
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.

Slaughter

[slaw-ter] /ˈslɔ tər/
noun
1.
Frank, 1908–2001, U.S. novelist and physician.
Examples from the web for slaughter
  • slaughter of livestock slaughter was an early target for legislation.
  • Campaigns continue to target halal and kosher religious ritual slaughter.
  • These texts strongly condemn the slaughter of animals and meat eating.
British Dictionary definitions for slaughter

slaughter

/ˈslɔːtə/
noun
1.
the killing of animals, esp for food
2.
the savage killing of a person
3.
the indiscriminate or brutal killing of large numbers of people, as in war; massacre
4.
(informal) a resounding defeat
verb (transitive)
5.
to kill (animals), esp for food
6.
to kill in a brutal manner
7.
to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers
8.
(informal) to defeat resoundingly
Derived Forms
slaughterer, noun
slaughterous, adjective
Word Origin
Old English sleaht; related to Old Norse slāttar hammering, slātr butchered meat, Old High German slahta, Gothic slauhts, German Schlacht battle
Word Origin and History for slaughter
n.

c.1300, "killing of a cattle or sheep for food, killing of a person," from a Scandinavian *slahtr, akin to Old Norse slatr "a butchering, butcher meat," slatra "to slaughter," slattr "a mowing" from Proto-Germanic *slukhtis, related to Old Norse sla "to strike" (see slay (v.)) + formative suffix (cf. laugh/laughter). Meaning "killing of a large number of persons in battle" is attested from mid-14c. Old English had slieht "stroke, slaughter, murder, death; animals for slaughter;" cf. sliehtswyn "pig for killing."

v.

1530s, "butcher an animal for market," from slaughter (n.). Meaning "slay wantonly, ruthlessly, or in great numbers" is from 1580s. Related: Slaughtered; slaughtering.

Idioms and Phrases with slaughter

slaughter

see: like a lamb to the slaughter