English

Alternative forms

• massacer (archaic)

Noun

massacre ‎(plural massacres)

1. The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to civilized norms.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus, Act I, Scene v:

     I'll find a day to massacre them all,
     And raze their faction and their family

   St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

   St. Valentine's Day Massacre

   Amritsar Massacre

2. (obsolete) Murder.
   • 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third

     The tyrannous and bloody act is done,—
     The most arch deed of piteous massacre
     That ever yet this land was guilty of.

3. (figuratively) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.

Hyponyms

• (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): atrocity; war crime; ethnic cleansing

Synonyms

• (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): butchery, slaughter (in the manner of livestock); decimation (strictly an orderly selection of ⅒ of a group for slaughter; see its entry for other terms concerning other ratios)

Related terms

• carnage
• mass murder
• massacrer
• massacree

Translations

Verb

massacre ‎(third-person singular simple present massacres, present participle massacring, simple past and past participle massacred)

1. (transitive) 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.)
   • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History Of England From the Accession of James II

     If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximilian had massacred the Theban legion

2. (figuratively) To win so decisively it is in the manner of so slaughtering one's opponent.
3. (figuratively) To give a performance so poorly it is in the manner of so slaughtering the musical piece, play, &c. being performed.

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.sakʁ/

Noun

massacre m ‎(plural massacres)

1. massacre

Verb

massacre

1. first-person singular present indicative of massacrer
2. third-person singular present indicative of massacrer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
5. second-person singular imperative of massacrer

Anagrams

• sacrâmes, sarcasme

Middle French

Etymology

Of disputed origin:

• From Latin macellum ‎(“butcher shop”).
• From Old French macecrer, macecler, from Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea.
• 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 *maitaną ‎(“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- ‎(“small”). Akin to Old High German meizan ‎(“to cut”) among others.

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Portuguese

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar
• massacrante