slaughter
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See also: Slaughter
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- slaughtre (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English slaughter, from Old Norse *slahtr, later sláttr, from Proto-Germanic *slahtrą, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną. Equivalent to slay + -ter (as in laughter). Eventually derived from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”). Related with Dutch slachten, German schlachten (both “to slaughter”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈslɔːtə/
Audio (UK) (file) - (US) IPA(key): /ˈslɔɾɚ/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈslɑtɚ/, /ˈslɑɾɚ/
- Hyphenation: slaugh‧ter
- Rhymes: -ɔːtə(ɹ)
- Homophone: slotter (in accents with the cot-caught merger)
Noun[edit]
slaughter (countable and uncountable, plural slaughters)
- (uncountable) The killing of animals, generally for food.
- A massacre; the killing of a large number of people.
- 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book VI, 1773, The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Edinburgh, page 416,
- For ſin, on war and mutual ſlaughter bent.
- 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book VI, 1773, The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Edinburgh, page 416,
- (rare) A mass destruction of non-living things.
- 1962 December, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Modern Railways, page 425:
- There was a massive slaughter of W.R. steam power at the conclusion of the summer timetable. In all, 169 locomotives were condemned.
- A rout or decisive defeat.
- A group of iguanas.
- Synonym: mess
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
killing of animals (also kosher and halal rituals)
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killing of many people
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a decisive defeat
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb[edit]
slaughter (third-person singular simple present slaughters, present participle slaughtering, simple past and past participle slaughtered)
- (transitive) To butcher animals, generally for food.
- (transitive, intransitive) To massacre people in large numbers.
- (transitive) To kill someone or something, especially in a particularly brutal manner.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
- Therefore cheere vp your mindes, prepare to fight,
He that can take or ſlaughter Tamburlaine,
Shall rule the Prouince of Albania.
Translations[edit]
to butcher animals, generally for food (also kosher and halal rituals)
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to massacre people in large numbers
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to kill in a particularly brutal manner
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Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old Norse
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms suffixed with -ter
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɔːtə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɔːtə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with rare senses
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- en:Death
- en:Murder