massacre en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/
- (US) audio
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 *mey- (“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”).
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) 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.
Massacres of Diyarbekir
Amritsar Massacre
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Huge demonstrations led to the Tiananmen Square massacre, where more than two thousand people who had dared to speak out against the government were killed and many more injured. The massacre was followed by even more suppression and imprisonment of protesters.
2008, Nancy Pelosi, “A Voice That Will Be Heard”, in Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters, Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 92: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.
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:I'll find a day to massacre them all, And raze their faction and their family
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]:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Murder.
The tyrannous and bloody act is done,— The most arch deed of piteous massacre That ever yet this land was guilty of.
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):
- (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| massacer | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| massacres | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
massacrist · massacrous · Flour Massacre · St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
Hypernyms
war crime (mass killing contrary to civilized norms) · atrocity (mass killing contrary to civilized norms)
Relateds
carnage · massacrer · mass murder · massacree
Synonyms
decimation (mass killing contrary to civilized norms) · butchery (mass killing contrary to civilized norms) · slaughter (mass killing contrary to civilized norms)
Translations (119)
mk ко́лење (intentional mass killing) · fi verilöyly (intentional mass killing) · az qətliam (intentional mass killing) · fr massacre (intentional mass killing) · mi parewhero (intentional mass killing) · pt massacre (intentional mass killing) · sh seča (intentional mass killing) · cy aerfa (intentional mass killing) · hy կոտորած (intentional mass killing) · sh krvoprolíće (intentional mass killing) · hi सामूहिक हत्या (intentional mass killing) · bn গণহত্যা (intentional mass killing) · lv slaktiņš (intentional mass killing) · uk різня́ (intentional mass killing) · sh маса̀кр (intentional mass killing) · hu mészárlás (intentional mass killing) · io masakro (intentional mass killing) · bg клане́ (intentional mass killing) · hu öldöklés (intentional mass killing) · ja 虐殺 (intentional mass killing) · sl pokol (intentional mass killing) · ru бо́йня (intentional mass killing) · tr katliam (intentional mass killing) · fa-ira کُشْتار (intentional mass killing) · mk маса́кр (intentional mass killing) · sl masaker (intentional mass killing) · es masacre (intentional mass killing) · cmn 大屠殺 /大屠杀 (intentional mass killing) · sh klánje (intentional mass killing) · ja 大虐殺 (intentional mass killing) · cmn 慘案 /惨案 (intentional mass killing) · wyi ull-ull (intentional mass killing) · ug قىرغىنچىلىق (intentional mass killing) · ja 惨殺 (intentional mass killing) · pl masakra (intentional mass killing) · kk қырғын (intentional mass killing) · sk masakra (intentional mass killing) · sv massaker (intentional mass killing) · be бо́йня (intentional mass killing) · az qırğın (intentional mass killing) · lt skerdynės (intentional mass killing) · cy llofruddiaeth (intentional mass killing) · ar مَجْزَرَة (intentional mass killing) · ky кыргын (intentional mass killing) · eo masakro (intentional mass killing) · ru резня́ (intentional mass killing) · hi हत्याकांड (intentional mass killing) · fi teurastus (intentional mass killing) · ajp مَجْزَرَة (intentional mass killing) · he טֶבַח (intentional mass killing) · uk бо́йня (intentional mass killing) · el σφαγή (intentional mass killing) · eo amasbuĉado (intentional mass killing) · cmn 屠殺 /屠杀 (intentional mass killing) · et tapatalg (intentional mass killing) · be разні́ца (intentional mass killing) · sk masaker (intentional mass killing) · sh pòkolj (intentional mass killing) · gl masacre (intentional mass killing) · mi hingahinga (intentional mass killing) · de Massaker (intentional mass killing) · it strage (intentional mass killing) · fi joukkomurha (intentional mass killing) · az qırhaqır (intentional mass killing) · pl rzeź (intentional mass killing) · rif tamenɣiwt (intentional mass killing) · tl masaker (intentional mass killing) · bg ма́сово кла́не (intentional mass killing) · nb massakre (intentional mass killing) · th การสังหารหมู่ (intentional mass killing) · ar مَذْبَحَة (intentional mass killing) · fa-ira قَتْلِ عام (intentional mass killing) · oc massacre (intentional mass killing) · cs pogrom (intentional mass killing) · vi sự tàn sát (intentional mass killing) · lv masveida slepkavība (intentional mass killing) · nrf machacréthie (intentional mass killing) · cy galanas (intentional mass killing) · la strāgēs (intentional mass killing) · ka ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (intentional mass killing) · ko 대학살 (intentional mass killing) · mk крвопроле́вање (intentional mass killing) · ca massacre (intentional mass killing) · cs masakr (intentional mass killing) · da massakre (intentional mass killing) · uz qirgʻin (intentional mass killing) · sh masàkr (intentional mass killing) · lo ຂ້າຟັນລັນແທງ (intentional mass killing) · ko 학살 (intentional mass killing) · ota قان (intentional mass killing) · ru ма́ссовое уби́йство (intentional mass killing) · my လူသတ်ပွဲ (intentional mass killing) · uk маса́кра (intentional mass killing) · km ការប្រហារ (intentional mass killing) · lo ການສັງຫານໝູ່ (intentional mass killing) · mk ко́леж (intentional mass killing) · nrf machacre (intentional mass killing) · lt žudynės (intentional mass killing) · sh кла́ње (intentional mass killing) · ja 皆殺し (intentional mass killing) · uk різани́на (intentional mass killing) · ur قَتْلِ عام (intentional mass killing) · mi whārona awatea (intentional mass killing) · sh сеча (intentional mass killing) · sh крвопроли́ће (intentional mass killing) · mi whakapiko (intentional mass killing) · be разня́ (intentional mass killing) · nl bloedbad (intentional mass killing) · ajp مَذْبَحَة (intentional mass killing) · km វិនាសការ (intentional mass killing) · de Gemetzel (intentional mass killing) · ro masacru (intentional mass killing) · hi कत्लेआम (intentional mass killing) · la trucīdātiō (intentional mass killing) · id pembantaian (intentional mass killing) · te ఊచకోత (intentional mass killing) · mi tārukenga (intentional mass killing) · sq masakër (intentional mass killing) · sh по̀кољ (intentional mass killing)