slaughter

Signification

Noun

1. The killing of animals, generally for food.
2. A massacre; the killing of a large number of people.
3. A mass destruction of non-living things.
4. A rout or decisive defeat.
5. A group of iguanas.

Verb

1. To butcher animals, generally for food.
2. To massacre people in large numbers.
3. To kill someone or something, especially in a particularly brutal manner.

Coupé comme

slaugh‧ter

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ˈslɔːtə/

Étymologie

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, Finnish lahdata (all “to slaughter”).