massacre

See also: massacré

English

Alternative forms

• massacer (archaic)

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: mass‧a‧cre

Noun

massacre (countable and uncountable, plural massacres)

1. 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

   St. Valentine's Day Massacre

   Amritsar Massacre

   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:

     I'll find a day to massacre them all,
     And raze their faction and their family

   • 2023 February 14, Holly Yan, “5 years after the Parkland school massacre claimed 17 lives, here’s what has changed (and what hasn’t)”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     The massacre that ripped apart 17 families in Parkland, Florida, five years ago on Valentine’s Day ignited a wave of student-led protests and bipartisan legislation to combat the plague of school shootings devastating the country.

2. (obsolete) Murder.
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

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

3. (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)

Hypernyms

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

Derived terms

• massacrist
• massacrous
• St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

Related terms

• carnage
• massacree
• massacrer
• mass murder

Translations

intentional mass killing

• Albanian: masakër (sq) f
• Arabic: مَذْبَحَة f (maḏbaḥa), مَجْزَرَة f (majzara)

  South Levantine Arabic: مَذْبَحَة (mádbaha), مَجْزَرَة (májzara)

• Armenian: կոտորած (hy) (kotorac)
• Azerbaijani: qətliam, qırğın, qırhaqır
• Belarusian: разня́ f (raznjá), бо́йня f (bójnja), разні́ца f (razníca)
• Bengali: গণহত্যা (bn) (gonohotta)
• Bulgarian: ма́сово кла́не n (másovo kláne), клане́ (bg) n (klané)
• Burmese: လူသတ်ပွဲ (lusatpwai:)
• Catalan: massacre (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大屠殺 / 大屠杀 (zh) (dàtúshā), 屠殺 / 屠杀 (zh) (túshā), 慘案 / 惨案 (zh) (cǎn'àn)

• Czech: masakr (cs) m, pogrom m
• Danish: massakre (da) c
• Dutch: bloedbad (nl)
• Esperanto: amasbuĉado, masakro
• Estonian: tapatalg
• Finnish: joukkomurha (fi), verilöyly (fi), teurastus (fi)
• French: massacre (fr) m
• Galician: masacre (gl) m
• Georgian: ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (xocva-žleṭa)
• German: Massaker (de) n, Gemetzel (de) n
• Greek: σφαγή (el) (sfagí)
• Hebrew: טֶבַח (he) m (tévakh)
• Hindi: कत्लेआम m (katleām), हत्याकांड m (hatyākāṇḍ), सामूहिक हत्या f (sāmūhik hatyā)
• Hungarian: mészárlás (hu), öldöklés (hu)
• Ido: masakro (io)
• Indonesian: pembantaian (id)
• Italian: strage (it) f
• Japanese: 大虐殺 (ja) (たいぎゃくさつ, daigyakusatsu), 虐殺 (ja) (ぎゃくさつ, gyakusatsu), 惨殺 (ja) (ざんさつ, zansatsu), 皆殺し (みなごろし, minagoroshi)
• Kazakh: қырғын (qyrğyn)
• Khmer: វិនាសការ (viniəh kaa), ការប្រហារ (kaa prɑhaa)
• Korean: 학살(虐殺) (ko) (haksal), 대학살(大虐殺) (ko) (daehaksal)
• Kyrgyz: кыргын (ky) (kırgın)
• Lao: ຂ້າຟັນລັນແທງ (khā fan lan thǣng), ການສັງຫານໝູ່ (kān sang hān mū)
• Latin: trucīdātiō f, strāgēs f
• Latvian: slaktiņš m, masveida slepkavība f
• Lithuanian: žudynės f pl, skerdynės f pl
• Macedonian: ко́леж m (kólež), ко́лење n (kólenje), крвопроле́вање n (krvoprolévanje), маса́кр m (masákr)
• Maori: hingahinga, parewhero (in battle), whakapiko, tārukenga, whārona awatea
• Norman: machacréthie f, machacre m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: massakre (no) m

• Occitan: massacre (oc) m
• Ottoman Turkish: قان (kan)
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: کُشْتار (fa) (koštâr), قَتْلِ عام (fa) (ġatl-e âm)

• Polish: masakra (pl) f, rzeź (pl) f
• Portuguese: massacre (pt) m
• Romanian: masacru (ro) n
• Russian: резня́ (ru) f (reznjá), бо́йня (ru) f (bójnja), ма́ссовое уби́йство n (mássovoje ubíjstvo)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: маса̀кр m, по̀кољ m, кла́ње n, крвопроли́ће m, сеча f

  Roman: masàkr (sh) m, pòkolj (sh) m, klánje (sh) n, krvoprolíće m, seča f

• Slovak: masaker m, masakra f
• Slovene: pokol (sl) m, masaker m
• Spanish: masacre (es) f
• Swedish: massaker (sv) c
• Tagalog: masaker
• Tarifit: tamenɣiwt f
• Telugu: ఊచకోత (ūcakōta)
• Thai: การสังหารหมู่ (gaan-sǎng-hǎan-mùu)
• Turkish: katliam (tr)
• Ukrainian: різня́ f (riznjá), різани́на f (rizanýna), маса́кра f (masákra), бо́йня (uk) f (bójnja)
• Urdu: قَتْلِ عام m (qatl-i 'ām)
• Uyghur: قىرغىنچىلىق (qirghinchiliq)
• Uzbek: qirgʻin (uz)
• Vietnamese: sự tàn sát (vi) (事殘殺)
• Welsh: llofruddiaeth (cy), aerfa m, galanas f
• Woiwurrung: ull-ull

Verb

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

1. (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.)
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

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

2. (transitive, figuratively) To win against (an opponent) very decisively.
3. (transitive, figuratively) To perform (a work, such as a musical piece or a play) very poorly.
4. (transitive, proscribed) To kill with great force or brutality.
   • 1972, The Godfather (film)

     Look how they massacred my boy.

Derived terms

• unmassacred

Translations

to kill in considerable numbers

• Arabic: قَتَّلَ (ar) (qattala), ذَبَّحَ (ḏabbaḥa)
• Armenian: կոտորել (hy) (kotorel)
• Bulgarian: коля (bg) (kolja), избивам (bg) (izbivam)
• Catalan: massacrar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屠殺 / 屠杀 (zh) (túshā)

• Czech: masakrovat
• Danish: massakrere
• Esperanto: amasbuĉi
• Finnish: joukkomurhata, teurastaa (fi)
• French: massacrer (fr)
• Galician: masacrar (gl)
• Georgian: ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (xocva-žleṭa), ხოცვა-ჟლეტის მოწყობა (xocva-žleṭis moc̣q̇oba)
• German: massakrieren (de), niedermetzeln (de), abschlachten (de)
• Hungarian: lemészárol (hu)
• Ido: masakrar (io)
• Indonesian: membantai (id)
• Italian: massacrare (it)
• Latin: trucīdō
• Macedonian: ко́ле (kóle)
• Maori: whārona awatea, whakawhārona
• Norman: machacrer
• Norwegian: massakrere
• Occitan: massacrar (oc)
• Ottoman Turkish: قیرمق (kırmak)
• Polish: wymordować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: massacrar (pt)
• Romanian: masacra (ro)
• Russian: устра́ивать резню́ impf (ustráivatʹ reznjú), устро́ить резню́ pf (ustróitʹ reznjú)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: масакрирати, поклати, поубијати

  Roman: masakrirati (sh), poklati (sh), poubijati (sh)

• Slovene: poklati
• Spanish: masacrar (es)
• Thai: สังหารหมู่ (sǎng-hǎan-mùu)
• Turkish: katletmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: tàn sát (vi) (殘殺)

Anagrams

• Marescas, massacer

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French massacre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [məˈsa.kɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [maˈsa.kɾe]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

massacre f (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar

Further reading

• “massacre”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.sakʁ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French massacre, from the verb massacrer.

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Derived terms

• jeu de massacre

Related terms

• massacrer

Descendants

• → Catalan: massacre
• → Danish: massakre
• → German: Massaker
• → Norwegian Bokmål: massakre
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: massakre
• → Portuguese: massacre
• → Spanish: masacre

Etymology 2

Verb

massacre

1. inflection of massacrer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “massacre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• sacrâmes, sarcasme

Middle French

Etymology

Of disputed origin:

• Most likely from Old French macecrer, macecler, from Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattia, *mattea, from Latin mateola.
• From a derivative of Latin macellum (“butcher shop”), although this is less likely.
• From Old French macacre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), alternatively from Medieval Latin mazacrium (“massacre, slaughter, killing”, also “the head of a newly killed stag”), 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.

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Descendants

• French: massacre

Occitan

Etymology

From French massacre.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French massacre.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈsa.kɾi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈsa.kɾi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈsa.kɾe/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈsa.kɾɨ/

• Hyphenation: mas‧sa‧cre

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar
• massacrante

Etymology 2

Verb

massacre

1. inflection of massacrar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative