butcher

See also: Butcher

English

Butcher

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʊtʃ.ə(ɹ)/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbʊt͡ʃ.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊtʃə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English buccher, bucher, boucher, bocher, from Anglo-Norman boucher, Old French bouchier (“goat slaughterer”), from Old French bouc (“goat”), from Medieval Latin buccus (“he-goat”), of Germanic origin. More at English buck.

Noun

butcher (plural butchers)

1. A person who prepares and sells meat (and sometimes also slaughters the animals).
   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter I, in 'The House Behind the Cedars:

     He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days...

2. (figurative) A brutal or indiscriminate killer.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Butcher of an innocent child.

3. (Cockney rhyming slang, from butcher's hook) A look.
4. (informal, obsolete) A person who sells candy, drinks, etc. in theatres, trains, circuses, etc.

Synonyms

• carnager
• mayhemist
• slayer

Derived terms

• butcherdom
• butcher's bill
• butcher's hook
• pork butcher

 

Translations

a person who prepares and sells meat

• Arabic: جَزَّار m (jazzār), قَصَّاب m (qaṣṣāb)

  Egyptian Arabic: جزار m (gazzār)

  Hijazi Arabic: جَزَّار m (jazzār)

  Moroccan Arabic: جزار m (gazzār)

• Armenian: մսագործ (hy) (msagorc), մսավաճառ (hy) (msavačaṙ)
• Aromanian: cãrnar m, hãsap m, cãsap m
• Assamese: কচাই (kosai)
• Azerbaijani: qəssab (az)
• Basque: harakin (eu)
• Belarusian: мясні́к m (mjasník)
• Bulgarian: месар m (mesar), касапин m (kasapin)
• Catalan: carnisser (ca) m, carnissera (ca) f
• Chechen: хаспанча (xaspanča)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屠夫 (zh) (túfū), 屠戶／屠户 (zh) (túhù), 屠户 (zh) (túhù), 賣肉者／卖肉者 (zh), 卖肉者 (zh) (màiròuzhě)

• Cornish: kiger m, kigores f
• Czech: řezník (cs) m
• Danish: slagter (da)
• Dongxiang: migvachi
• Dutch: slager (nl) m, beenhouwer (nl) m
• Esperanto: buĉisto
• Estonian: lihunik
• Faroese: slaktari m, slátrari m
• Finnish: lihakauppias (fi), lihanleikkaaja (fi), teurastaja (fi)
• French: boucher (fr) m, bouchère (fr) f
• Galician: carniceiro (gl) m, buxeo m
• Georgian: ყასაბი (ka) (q̇asabi)
• German: Fleischer (de) m, Metzger (de) m, Schlachter (de) m
• Greek: χασάπης (el) m (chasápis), κρεοπώλης (el) m (kreopólis)

  Ancient: μάγειρος m (mágeiros), σφαγεύς m (sphageús)

• Hebrew: שׁוֹחֵט m (shochét)
• Hindi: क़साई m (qasāī), बूचड़ (hi) m (būcaṛ), कसाई (hi) m (kasāī)
• Hungarian: hentes (hu), mészáros (hu)
• Icelandic: slátrari (is) m
• Ido: karno-vendisto
• Indonesian: tukang daging (id)
• Irish: feolaire m, búistéir m
• Italian: macellaio (it) m
• Japanese: 肉屋 (ja) (にくや, nikuya)
• Korean: 푸주한 (pujuhan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kurdish:

  Kurmanji: ,

  Sorani: قەساب (qesab)

• Latin: lanius m, macellārius n
• Latvian: miesnieks m, miesniece f
• Limburgish: slechter (li)
• Lithuanian: mėsininkas m
• Macedonian: месар m (mesar), касап m (kasap)
• Maltese: biċċier m, biċċiera f
• Norman: bouochi m
• Norwegian: slakter m
• Persian: قصاب (fa) (qassâb)
• Polish: rzeźnik (pl) m, masarz (pl) m
• Portuguese: talhante (pt) m or f (Portugal), açougueiro (pt) m, açougueira f (Brazil)
• Quechua: ñak'aq
• Romanian: măcelar (ro) m, măcelăreasă (ro) f
• Romansch: mazler, batger, bacher
• Russian: мясни́к (ru) m (mjasník)
• Scottish Gaelic: feòladair m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ме̏са̄р m

  Roman: mȅsār (sh) m

• Sicilian: ghiancheri (scn) m, bucceri (scn), vucceri (scn), ucceri (scn)
• Slovak: mäsiar m
• Slovene: mesar (sl) m
• Spanish: carnicero (es) m, carnicera (es) f, oficial (es) m or f
• Swahili: mchinjaji
• Swedish: slaktare (sv) c, styckare c, charkuterist (sv) c (the salesman)
• Tagalog: manlalapa, tagalapa, matador
• Telugu: కసాయి (te) (kasāyi)
• Thai: คนขายเนื้อ (kon-kăai néua)
• Turkish: kasap (tr)
• Ukrainian: м'ясни́к (uk) m (mʺjasnýk)
• Urdu: قصائی m (qasā'ī), قصاب m (qassāb)
• Vietnamese: người hàng thịt
• Walloon: mangon (wa) m, botchî (wa) m, manguinresse (wa) f, botchresse (wa) f
• Welsh: cigydd (cy) m
• Yiddish: קצבֿ m (katsef)

a brutal or indiscriminate killer

• Arabic: جَزَّار m (jazzār)
• Armenian: մսագործ (hy) (msagorc)
• Basque: odolzale
• Bulgarian: касапин m (kasapin)
• Dutch: slachter (nl) m
• Finnish: teurastaja (fi)
• Georgian: ყასაბი (ka) (q̇asabi)
• German: Schlächter (de) m
• Greek: σφαγέας (el) m (sfagéas), μακελάρης (el) m (makeláris)
• Indonesian: jagal (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: macellaio (it) m, carnefice (it) m
• Macedonian: колач m (kolač), касап m (kasap)
• Norwegian: slakter m
• Portuguese: carniceiro (pt) m
• Romanian: măcelăr m, casap (ro) m
• Russian: мясни́к (ru) m (mjasník)
• Swedish: slaktare (sv) c
• Tagalog: mamamatay-tao
• Telugu: కసాయి (te) (kasāyi)
• Volapük: (♂♀) mipugan

a person who sells candy, drinks, etc.

• Hungarian: mozgóárus (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

butcher (third-person singular simple present butchers, present participle butchering, simple past and past participle butchered)

1. (transitive) To slaughter (animals) and prepare (meat) for market.

   Synonyms: kill, slaughter

2. (transitive) To kill brutally.

   Synonyms: massacre, slay

3. (transitive) To ruin (something), often to the point of defamation.

   The band at that bar really butchered "Hotel California".

   Synonym: murder

Translations

To slaughter animals and prepare meat for market

• Armenian: մորթել (hy) (mortʻel)
• Bulgarian: коля (bg) (kolja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屠宰 (zh) (túzǎi)

• Czech: porážet (cs)
• Dutch: slachten (nl)
• Finnish: teurastaa (fi), leikata (fi)
• French: abattre (fr)
• Friulian: macelâ
• Georgian: დაკვლა (daḳvla)
• German: schlachten (de)
• Greek: σφαγιάζω (el) (sfagiázo)

  Ancient: σφάζω (spházō), κρεουργέω (kreourgéō)

• Hungarian: levág (hu), leöl (hu)
• Indonesian: menjagal (id)
• Italian: macellare (it)
• Japanese: 屠殺する (ja) (とさつする, tosatsu suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latgalian: kaut
• Latvian: kaut
• Limburgish: slechte (li)
• Macedonian: касапи (kasapi), коле (kole)
• Navajo: náʼáłʼah
• Norwegian: slakte (no)
• Portuguese: abater (pt), talhar (pt), cortar (pt)
• Romanian: măcelări (ro), omorî (ro), tăia (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: транши́рати, ка̀сапити, меса́рити

  Roman: tranšírati (sh), kàsapiti (sh), mesáriti (sh)

• Spanish: carnear (es), matar (es), destazar (es)
• Swedish: slakta (sv), stycka (sv)
• Volapük: miticöpön (vo)

to kill brutally

• Bulgarian: убивам (bg) (ubivam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屠殺／屠杀 (zh) (túshā), 屠杀 (zh) (túshā)

• Dutch: slachten (nl), afslachten (nl)
• Finnish: teurastaa (fi)
• French: abattre (fr)
• German: niedermetzeln (de)
• Greek: σφάζω (el) (sfázo), μακελεύω (el) (makelévo) (informal)
• Indonesian: menjagal (id)
• Italian: massacrare (it)
• Limburgish: slechte (li), aafslechte
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: коле (kole), касапи (kasapi)
• Norwegian: slakte (no)
• Polish: masakrować
• Portuguese: trucidar (pt), massacrar (pt)
• Romanian: măcelări (ro), căsăpi (ro), masacra (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чѐречити

  Roman: čèrečiti (sh)

• Spanish: masacrar (es)
• Swedish: slakta (sv)
• Volapük: mipugön

To ruin something

• Finnish: tuhota (fi), pilata (fi)
• French: charcuter (fr)
• Greek: καταστρέφω (el) (katastréfo), κατακρεουργώ (el) (katakreourgó)
• Italian: rovinare (it), danneggiare (it)
• Norwegian: slakte (no)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: rujnować (pl)
• Romanian: ciopârți (ro), masacra (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: иска̀сапити

  Roman: iskàsapiti (sh)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} buchar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Etymology 2

butch +‎ -er

Adjective

butcher

1. comparative form of butch: more butch
   • 2003, Alisa Solomon, Re-Dressing the Canon: Essays on Theatre and Gender, page 170:

     Weaver and Shaw dance together and almost immediately another butch, an even butcher butch (Leslie Feinberg), cuts in to dance with Shaw (though Shaw would kill me if she heard me call someone a butcher butch).

Anagrams

• Buchert