bloodbath

noun bloodbaths · blood bath

1. Indiscriminate killing or slaughter; a massacre. There lay the steed; here lay the man; Gude friends that day did twin: They leuch na a' to the feast that cam Whan the het bluid-bath was done.
2. An aggressive or very violent contest or confrontation. Although the Hampden Park blood bath of '94 caused Yale and Harvard to break off football relations for the next two years, they kept close watch on each other.
3. figuratively An upset (as of a game with unexpected results, or a national presidential convention) or heavy defeat. Robert Halfon, a senior Tory backbencher, warned that a general election now would be a “bloodbath” for his party.
4. figuratively A large financial loss or massive layoff brought about by negative economic conditions. In an interview after the victory, Daley sought to assure Blacks that there would be no personnel bloodbath at City Hall.
5. literally A bath taken in warm blood used as a restorative or medical treatment. On Blood-Baths: An Historical Notice. By Dr. Hecker. According to a dark tradition which is incidentally mentioned by Pliny, the ancient kings of Egypt used to bathe in human blood when they were seized with leprosy.