MASSACRE

slaughter, massacre, mass murder, carnage, butchery

(noun) the savage and excessive killing of many people

massacre, slaughter, mow down

(verb) kill a large number of people indiscriminately; “The Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

massacre (countable and uncountable, plural massacres)

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

(obsolete) Murder.

(figuratively) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.

Synonyms

• (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): butchery, slaughter (in the manner of livestock); decimation (strictly an orderly selection of ⅒ of a group for slaughter; see its entry for other terms concerning other ratios)

Hyponyms

• (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): atrocity; war crime; ethnic cleansing

Verb

massacre (third-person singular simple present massacres, present participle massacring, simple past and past participle massacred)

(transitive) 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.)

(figuratively) To win so decisively it is in the manner of so slaughtering one's opponent.

(figuratively) To give a performance so poorly it is in the manner of so slaughtering the musical piece, play etc being performed.

Anagrams

• Marescas, massacer

Source: Wiktionary

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Mas"sa*cre, n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. mazacrium; cf. Prov. G. metzgern, metzgen, to kill cattle, G. metzger a butcher, and LG. matsken to cut, hew, OHG. meizan to cut, Goth. máitan.]

1. The killing of a considerable number of human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty, or contrary to the usages of civilized people; as, the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day.

2. Murder. [Obs.] Shak.

Syn.

– Massacre, Butchery, Carnage. Massacre denotes the promiscuous slaughter of many who can not make resistance, or much resistance. Butchery refers to cold-blooded cruelty in the killing of men as if they were brute beasts. Carnage points to slaughter as producing the heaped-up bodies of the slain. I'll find a day to massacre them all, And raze their faction and their family. Shak. If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds, Brhold this pattern of thy butcheries. Shak. Such a scent I draw Of carnage, prey innumerable ! Milton.

Mas"sa*cre, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Massacred; p. pr. & vb. n. Massacring.] Etym: [Cf. F. massacrer. See Massacre, n.]

Definition: To kill in considerable numbers where much resistance can not be made; to kill with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to the usages of nations; to butcher; to slaughter; -- limited to the killing of human beings. If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximian had massacred the Theban legion. Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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