massacre
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- massacer (archaic)
Etymology edit
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 edit
Noun edit
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/or contrary to civilized norms.
- 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
- (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.
- (figuratively) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.
Synonyms edit
- (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 edit
- (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): atrocity; war crime; ethnic cleansing
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
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Verb edit
massacre (third-person singular simple present massacres, present participle massacring, simple past and past participle massacred)
- (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, volumes (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
- (transitive, figuratively) To win against (an opponent) very decisively.
- (transitive, figuratively) To perform (a work, such as a musical piece or a play) very poorly.
- (transitive, proscribed) To kill with great force or brutality.
- 1972, The Godfather (film)
- Look how they massacred my boy.
- 1972, The Godfather (film)
Translations edit
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Anagrams edit
Catalan edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French massacre.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
massacre f (plural massacres)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “massacre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Middle French massacre, from the verb massacrer.
Noun edit
massacre m (plural massacres)
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
Etymology 2 edit
Verb edit
massacre
- inflection of massacrer:
Further reading edit
- “massacre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
Middle French edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
massacre m (plural massacres)
Descendants edit
- French: massacre
Occitan edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (Béarn) (file)
Noun edit
massacre m (plural massacres)
Related terms edit
Portuguese edit
Etymology 1 edit
Borrowed from French massacre.[1][2]
Pronunciation edit
- Hyphenation: mas‧sa‧cre
Noun edit
massacre m (plural massacres)
Related terms edit
References edit
- ^ “massacre” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
- ^ “massacre” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
Etymology 2 edit
Verb edit
massacre
- inflection of massacrar: