Definition of SLAUGHTER

slaughter

Plural: slaughters

Noun

  • the killing of animals (as for food)
  • a sound defeat
  • the savage and excessive killing of many people
  • The killing of animals, generally for food.
  • A massacre; the killing of a large number of people.
  • A mass destruction of non-living things.
  • A rout or decisive defeat.
  • A group of iguanas.

Verb

  • kill (animals) usually for food consumption
    • "They slaughtered their only goat to survive the winter"
  • kill a large number of people indiscriminately
  • To butcher animals, generally for food.
  • To massacre people in large numbers.
  • To kill someone or something, especially in a particularly brutal manner.

Origin / Etymology

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”).

Scrabble Score: 13

slaughter: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
slaughter: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
slaughter: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

slaughter: valid Words With Friends Word