massacre
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-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
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Audio (US): (file)
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.
- 1592, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus, Act I, Scene v:
- I'll find a day to massacre them all,
And raze their faction and their family
- I'll find a day to massacre them all,
- 1592, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus, Act I, Scene v:
- (obsolete) Murder.
- 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third
- The tyrannous and bloody act is done,—
The most arch deed of piteous massacre
That ever yet this land was guilty of.
- The tyrannous and bloody act is done,—
- 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third
- (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
Related terms
Translations
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Verb
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- (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, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History Of England From the Accession of James II
- If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximilian had massacred the Theban legion
- 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History Of England From the Accession of James II
- (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.
Translations
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Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from French massacre.
Noun
massacre m (plural massacres)
Related terms
Further reading
- “massacre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
French
Etymology
From Middle French massacre, from the verb massacrer.
Pronunciation
Noun
massacre m (plural massacres)
Descendants
Verb
massacre
- first-person singular present indicative of massacrer
- third-person singular present indicative of massacrer
- first-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
- third-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
- second-person singular imperative of massacrer
Further reading
- “massacre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
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-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)
Descendants
- French: massacre
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from French massacre.
Noun
massacre m (plural massacres)
Related terms
- English terms borrowed from Middle French
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Middle Low German
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English transitive verbs
- en:Death
- en:Murder
- Catalan terms borrowed from French
- Catalan terms derived from French
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan nouns
- Catalan countable nouns
- Catalan masculine nouns
- French terms inherited from Middle French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French non-lemma forms
- French verb forms
- Middle French terms inherited from Old French
- Middle French terms derived from Old French
- Middle French terms inherited from Vulgar Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- Middle French terms inherited from Late Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Late Latin
- Middle French terms inherited from Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Middle Low German
- Middle French terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle French terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle French lemmas
- Middle French nouns
- Middle French masculine nouns
- Middle French countable nouns
- Portuguese terms borrowed from French
- Portuguese terms derived from French
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese masculine nouns