Christ-killer

English

Etymology

Christ +‎ killer. First use appears c. 1532 in the publications of Thomas More. The first sense derives from the erroneous belief that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkraɪst ˌkɪlə(r)/

• Audio:

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Noun

Christ-killer (plural Christ-killers)

1. (ethnic slur, offensive) A Jew.
   • 1917, Abraham Cahan, The Rise of David Levinsky, A Novel, page 9:

     Sometimes, when a Jew chanced to visit it some of its boys would descend upon him with shouts of "Damned Jew!" "Christ-killer!" and sick their dogs at him.

2. (dated, obsolete, offensive) One who is considered to have spoken or acted against the teachings of Jesus Christ.