massacre
English · Français · Português · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
massacre
- /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/
Where it comes from
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”).
noun massacres · massacer
-
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.
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Similar: butchery, slaughter, decimation
- Murder. The tyrannous and bloody act is done,— The most arch deed of piteous massacre That ever yet this land was guilty of.
- Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.
verb massacres · massacring · massacred · massacer
- To kill in considerable numbers where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to civilized norms. (Often limited to the killing of human beings.) If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximilian had massacred the Theban legion
- To win against (an opponent) very decisively.
- To perform (a work, such as a musical piece or a play) very poorly.
- To kill with great force or brutality. Look how they massacred my boy.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mass murder, mow down, slaughter, assassination, slaying, genocide, bloodbath, culling, cull, slaughtering, bloodshed, killing, obliteration, annihilation, carnage, beheading
Translations
Every language
noun intentional mass killing
| Español | masacre |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 학살 haksal, 대학살 daehaksal |
| 日本語 | 大虐殺 daigyakusatsu, 虐殺 gyakusatsu, 惨殺 zansatsu, 皆殺し minagoroshi |
| 中文 | 大屠殺 /大屠杀 dàtúshā, 屠殺 /屠杀 túshā, 慘案 /惨案 cǎn'àn |
| हिन्दी | कत्लेआम katleām, हत्याकांड hatyākāṇḍ, सामूहिक हत्या sāmūhik hatyā |
| Português | massacre |
| Français | massacre |
| Deutsch | Massaker, Gemetzel |
| Italiano | strage |
| Ελληνικά | σφαγή sfagí |
| Română | masacru |
| Русский | резня́ reznjá, бо́йня bójnja, ма́ссовое уби́йство mássovoje ubíjstvo |
| Tiếng Việt | sự tàn sát |
| العربية | مَذْبَحَة maḏbaḥa, مَجْزَرَة majzara |
| עברית | טֶבַח tévakh |
verb to kill in considerable numbers
| Español | masacrar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 屠殺 /屠杀 túshā |
| Português | massacrar |
| Français | massacrer |
| Deutsch | massakrieren, niedermetzeln, abschlachten |
| Italiano | massacrare |
| Română | masacra |
| Русский | устра́ивать резню́ ustráivatʹ reznjú, устро́ить резню́ ustróitʹ reznjú |
| Tiếng Việt | tàn sát |
| العربية | قَتَّلَ qattala, ذَبَّحَ ḏabbaḥa |
Talk about this word "massacre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/massacre. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. massacre. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/massacre "massacre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/massacre.Cite this
@misc{massacre_2026,
title = {massacre},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/massacre},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
