slaughter

CEFRC1

/ˈslɔːtə/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To kill many animals or people brutally.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    A mass destruction of non-living things.

Examples

  • The slaughter of the prisoners was a barbarous act.

  • Slaughter is the best medicine.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • [ˈslɔɾɚ]
  • /ˈsloːtə/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. A massacre; the killing of a large number of people.

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The killing of animals, generally for food.

  2. A rout or decisive defeat.

More examples

In context

  • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book VI, 1773, The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Edinburgh, page 416, For ſin, on war and mutual ſlaughter bent.

  • There was a massive slaughter of W.R. steam power at the conclusion of the summer timetable. In all, 169 locomotives were condemned.

  • […] I ſee Th’ Inſulting Tyrant prancing o’er the Field Strow’d with Rome’s Citizens, and drench’d in Slaughter, His Horſe’s Hoofs wet with Patrician Blood.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The butcher will blank the cows for the market using a sharp knife.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).