Massacre Definition

măsə-kər

massacred, massacres, massacring

noun

massacres

The indiscriminate, merciless killing of a number of human beings.

Webster's New World

A large-scale slaughter of animals.

Webster's New World

An overwhelming defeat, as in sports.

Webster's New World

(figuratively)

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

verb

massacred, massacres, massacring

To kill indiscriminately and mercilessly and in large numbers.

Webster's New World

To defeat overwhelmingly.

Webster's New World

To botch; bungle.

Massacred the French language trying to order dinner.

American Heritage

To kill in considerable numbers where much resistance can not be made; to kill with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to the norms of civilized people; to butcher; to slaughter. (Often limited to the killing of human beings.)

Wiktionary

(figuratively)

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
give-birth
create

Other Word Forms of Massacre

Noun

Singular:

massacre

Plural:

massacres

Origin of Massacre

1580, from Middle French massacre, 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 *maitanÄ… (“to cut"), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- (“small"). Akin to Old High German meizan (“to cut"), Dutch matsen (“to maul, kill"), dialectal German metzgern "to butcher, kill", German metzgen (“to cull, kill, slaughter cattle"), Metzger (“a butcher"), Metzelei (“massacre"), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (maitan, “to cut"). See also the French term massacrer.

From Wiktionary
French from Old French macecle, macecre butchery, shambles

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition