massacre

See also: massacré

Contents

EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

• massacer (archaic)

EtymologyEdit

1580, from Middle French massacre, of disputed origin:

• From Latin macellum (“butcher shop”).
• From Old French macecrer, macecler, from Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea, from Latin mateola.
• From Old French macacre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), 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”)), frequentive 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.

PronunciationEdit

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmæs.ə.kɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

NounEdit

massacre (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 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

   St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

   St. Valentine's Day Massacre

   Amritsar Massacre

2. (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.

3. (figuratively) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.

HyponymsEdit

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

SynonymsEdit

• (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)

Related termsEdit

• carnage
• mass murder
• massacrer
• massacree

TranslationsEdit

intentional mass killing

• Arabic: مَذْبَحَة‏‎ f (maḏbaḥa)
• Armenian: կոտորած (hy) (kotorac)
• Catalan: massacre m
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: masakr m
• Danish: massakre c
• Esperanto: amasbuĉado, masakro
• Estonian: tapatalg
• Finnish: joukkomurha (fi), verilöyly (fi), teurastus (fi)
• French: massacre (fr) m
• Georgian: ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (xocva-žleṭa)
• German: Massaker (de) n
• Greek: σφαγή (el) (sfagí)
• Hebrew: טבח‏‎ (he) m (tevach)
• Hungarian: mészárlás (hu)
• Ido: masakro (io)
• Indonesian: pembantaian (id)
• Italian: strage (it) f
• Japanese: 大虐殺 (daigyakusatsu), 虐殺 (gyakusatsu), 惨殺 (zansatsu), みなごろし (ja) (minagoroshi)

• Korean: 학살 (ko) (haksal)
• Latin: trucidatio
• Latvian: slaktiņš m, masveida slepkavība f
• Lithuanian: žudynės f pl, skerdynės f pl
• Maori: hingahinga, parewhero (in battle), whakapiko, tārukenga
• Norman: machacréthie f, machacre m
• Norwegian: massakre
• Polish: masakra (pl) f
• Portuguese: massacre (pt) m
• Romanian: masacru (ro) n
• Russian: резня́ (ru) f (reznjá), ма́ссовое уби́йство n (mássovoje ubíjstvo), бо́йня (ru) f (bójnja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: масакр m, покољ m, крвопролиће m, сеча f

  Roman: masakr (sh) m, pokolj (sh) m, krvoproliće (sh) m, seča f

• Slovak: masakra f
• Slovene: pokol (sl) m, masaker m
• Spanish: masacre (es) f
• Swedish: massaker (sv) c
• Telugu: ఊచకోత (ūcakōta)
• Welsh: llofruddiaeth (cy), aerfa m

VerbEdit

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, 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

2. (figuratively) To win so decisively it is in the manner of so slaughtering one's opponent.
3. (figuratively) To give a performance so poorly it is in the manner of so slaughtering the musical piece, play etc being performed.

TranslationsEdit

to kill in considerable numbers

• Armenian: կոտորել (hy) (kotorel)
• Catalan: massacrar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屠殺 (zh), 屠杀 (zh) (túshā)

• Czech: masakrovat
• Danish: massakrere
• Finnish: joukkomurhata, teurastaa (fi)
• French: massacrer (fr)
• Georgian: ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (xocva-žleṭa), ხოცვა-ჟლეტის მოწყობა (xocva-žleṭis moc̣q̇oba)
• German: massakrieren (de)
• Ido: masakrar (io)
• Indonesian: membantai (id)

• Maori: whārona awatea
• Norman: machacrer
• Norwegian: massakrere
• Portuguese: massacrar (pt)
• Romanian: masacra (ro)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: масакрирати, поклати, поубијати

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

• Slovene: poklati
• Spanish: masacrar (es)

AnagramsEdit

• Marescas, massacer

---

CatalanEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowing from French massacre.

NounEdit

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related termsEdit

• massacrar

Further readingEdit

• “massacre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

---

FrenchEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /ma.sakʁ/

NounEdit

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

DescendantsEdit

• Catalan: massacre
• German: Massaker
• Spanish: masacre

VerbEdit

massacre

1. first-person singular present indicative of massacrer
2. third-person singular present indicative of massacrer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
5. second-person singular imperative of massacrer

AnagramsEdit

• sacrâmes, sarcasme

Further readingEdit

• “massacre” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

---

Middle FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Of disputed origin:

• From Latin macellum (“butcher shop”).
• From Old French macecrer, macecler, from Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea.
• From Old French macacre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), 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”)), frequentive 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.

NounEdit

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

---

PortugueseEdit

NounEdit

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related termsEdit

• massacrar
• massacrante