slaughter

See also: Slaughter

English

Alternative forms

slaughtre (obsolete)

Etymology

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

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈslɔːtə/
Audio (UK) (file)
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈslɔtɚ/
(cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈslɑtɚ/
Hyphenation: slaugh‧ter
Rhymes: -ɔːtə(ɹ)
Homophone: slotter (in accents with the cot-caught merger)

Noun

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.
(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

come like a lamb to the slaughter
lamb to the slaughter
like a lamb to the slaughter
manslaughter
self-slaughter
slaughter animal
slaughterer
slaughterhouse
slaughterman
slaughterous

Translations

killing of animals (also kosher and halal rituals)

Albanian: ploje
Arabic: ذَبْح‎ m (ḏabḥ)
Armenian: սպանդ (hy) (spand)
Bulgarian: клане́ (bg) n (klané)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 屠宰 (zh) (túzǎi), 宰殺／宰杀 (zh) (zǎishā)
Czech: porážka (cs) f
Danish: slakt c
Dutch: slacht (nl) f
Finnish: teurastus (fi), lahti (fi)
French: abattage (fr) m
Galician: matanza f, mata (gl) f
German: Schlachtung (de) f, rituelles Schlachten n, Schächten (de) n, Schächtung (de) f
Gothic: 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍃 f (slauhts)
Greek: σφαγή (el) f (sfagí)
Ancient: σφαγή f (sphagḗ)
Hebrew: שְׁחִיטָה‎ f (shḥitá)
Hungarian: mészárlás (hu)
Italian: mattanza (it)
Japanese: 屠殺 (ja) (とさつ, tosatsu), 殺生 (ja) (せっしょう, sesshō)
Latin: nex (la), trucīdātiō f
Malay: penyembelihan
Manchu: ᠸᠠᠮᠪᡳ (wambi)
Navajo: náʼáʼah
Norwegian:
Bokmål: slakt
Oromo: qaluu
Persian: کشتار‎ (fa) (koštâr)
Polish: ubój (pl) m
Portuguese: matança (pt) f
Romanian: abataj (ro)
Russian: убо́й (ru) m (ubój), забо́й (ru) m (zabój)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: по̀кољ m, кла́ње n
Roman: pòkolj (sh) m, klánje (sh) n
Spanish: matanza (es) f
Swedish: slakt (sv) c
Turkish: kesim (tr)
Volapük: pug (vo), (ritual) pug ritulik
Walloon: touwaedje (wa) m

killing of many people

Albanian: masakër (sq) f, therje (sq) f
Arabic: مَذْبَحَة‎ f (maḏbaḥa), تَقْتِيل‎ m (taqtīl)
Armenian: կոտորած (hy) (kotorac), սպանդ (hy) (spand)
Azerbaijani: qətliam
Belarusian: разня́ f (raznjá), бо́йня f (bójnja), разні́ца f (razníca)
Bulgarian: сеч (bg) m (seč), клане́ (bg) n (klané)
Catalan: matança f, massacre (ca) f
Chechen: please add this translation if you can
Chinese:
Mandarin: 屠殺／屠杀 (zh) (túshā), 慘案／惨案 (zh) (cǎn'àn), 慘殺／惨杀 (zh) (cǎnshā), 殺戮／杀戮 (zh) (shālù)
Czech: masakr (cs) m
Dutch: slachtpartij (nl) f, bloedbad (nl) n, afslachting (nl) f
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Estonian: tapatalg
Finnish: teurastus (fi), joukkomurha (fi), verilöyly (fi)
French: carnage (fr) m, tuerie (fr) f, massacre (fr) m
Galician: matanza f
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: Schlachtung (de) f, Schlächterei (de) f, Gemetzel (de) n, Metzelei (de) f
Greek: σφαγή (el) f (sfagí)
Hebrew: טֶבַח‎ (he) m (tévaḥ)
Hungarian: mészárlás (hu), öldöklés (hu)
Irish: ár m, eirleach m
Old Irish: ár m
Italian: mattanza (it), carneficina (it), massacro (it) m, massacro (it) m
Japanese: 虐殺 (ja) (ぎゃくさつ, gyakusatsu), 惨殺 (ja) (ざんさつ, zansatsu), 殺戮 (ja) (さつりく, satsuriku)
Korean: 학살(虐殺) (ko) (haksal)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: سەر بڕین‎ (ser brrîn)
Latin: trucīdātiō f, nex (la)
Latvian: slaktiņš m
Lithuanian: žudynės f pl, skerdynės f pl
Macedonian: колеж m (kolež), масакр m (masakr)
Maori: hingahinga, parewhero, whakapiko, tārukenga, whārona awatea, parekura
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian:
Bokmål: slakt n
Persian: کشتار‎ (fa) (koštâr)
Polish: rzeź (pl) f, pogrom (pl) m, masakra (pl) f
Portuguese: carnificina (pt) f, matança (pt) f, massacre (pt) m, chacina (pt) f
Romanian: măcel (ro)
Russian: резня́ (ru) f (reznjá), ма́ссовое уби́йство n (mássovoje ubíjstvo), бо́йня (ru) f (bójnja)
Scottish Gaelic: àr m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: по̀кољ m, кла́ње n
Roman: pòkolj (sh) m, klánje (sh) n}
Slovak: masaker m, masakra f
Slovene: pokol (sl) m, masaker m
Spanish: matanza (es) f, masacre (es) f, carnicería (es) f
Swedish: massaker (sv) c, slakt (sv) c
Turkish: katletme (tr), katliam (tr)
Ukrainian: різня́ f (riznjá), різани́на f (rizanýna), бо́йня (uk) f (bójnja), маса́кра f (masákra)
Volapük: mipug
Yiddish: הריגה‎ f (harige)

a decisive defeat

Bulgarian: разгро́м (bg) m (razgróm)
Finnish: teurastus (fi), rökäletappio (fi)
Greek: σφαγή (el) f (sfagí)
Irish: ár m
Old Irish: ár m
Latin: nex (la)
Polish: pogrom (pl) m
Portuguese: massacre (pt) m
Russian: разгро́м (ru) m (razgróm)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: кланица f
Roman: klanica (sh) f
Spanish: escabechina (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} abattage (fr) m

Verb

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 […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; 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

to butcher animals, generally for food (also kosher and halal rituals)

Arabic: ذَبَحَ‎ (ḏabaḥa)
Egyptian Arabic: دبح‎ (dabaḥ)
Armenian: մորթել (hy) (mortʿel)
Bengali: হত্যা (bn) (hôtẏa)
Bulgarian: коля (bg) (kolja)
Czech: porazit (cs) pf, porážet (cs) impf
Danish: slagte
Dutch: slachten (nl)
Egyptian:

(dnd)
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: teurastaa (fi), lahdata (fi)
German: schlachten (de), (Jewish / Muslim) schächten (de)
Alemannic German: metzge
Greek: σφάζω (el) (sfázo)
Ancient: σφάζω (spházō)
Icelandic: please add this translation if you can
Italian: macellare (it)
Kven: lahđata
Latvian: please add this translation if you can
Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
Malay: sembelih (ms), menyembelih
Maori: patu mīti
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Nahuatl: mictia (nah)
Norwegian: slakte (no)
Polish: szlachtować (pl) impf, zaszlachtować pf, zarzynać (pl) impf, rżnąć (pl) impf, zarżnąć pf, bić (pl) impf
Portuguese: matar (pt), abater (pt)
Romanian: măcelări (ro) m, tăia (ro), omorî (ro)
Spanish: matar (es)
Swedish: slakta (sv)
Turkish: kesmek (tr)
Volapük: pugön (vo), benopugön

to massacre people in large numbers

Armenian: կոտորել (hy) (kotorel), մորթել (hy) (mortʿel)
Bulgarian: избивам (bg) (izbivam)
Dutch: afslachten (nl)
Finnish: teurastaa (fi), lahdata (fi)
French: massacrer (fr), faire une tuerie
German: abschlachten (de)
Greek: κατασφάζω (el) (katasfázo)
Icelandic: slátra (is)
Italian: massacrare (it)
Latin: trucīdō
Maori: whārona awatea, whakawhārona
Nahuatl: mictia (nah)
Norwegian: massakrere, slakte (no)
Polish: masakrować impf, zmasakrować pf
Portuguese: exterminar (pt), massacrar (pt)
Spanish: masacrar (es)
Sumerian: 𒄮 (SÙR)
Swedish: slakta (sv)
Turkish: katletmek (tr)
Volapük: mipugön

to kill in a particularly brutal manner

Dutch: afslachten (nl)
Finnish: teurastaa (fi), lahdata (fi)
French: massacrer (fr), faire un carnage
German: abschlachten (de)
Greek: κατακρεουργώ (el) (katakreourgó)
Latin: trucīdō
Nahuatl: mictia (nah)
Norwegian: slakte (no)
Polish: masakrować impf, zmasakrować pf, zarzynać (pl) impf, rżnąć (pl) impf, zarżnąć pf
Portuguese: massacrar (pt)
Spanish: masacrar (es), matar (es), carnear (es)
Sumerian: 𒄮 (SÙR)
Swedish: slakta (sv)
Turkish: katletmek (tr)
Volapük: mipugön

Anagrams

Laughters, laughster, laughters, laughtres, lethargus, slaughtre