# massacre

Pronunciation: say "MAS-uh-kur" /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. The killing of a large number of people, usually those who can offer little resistance, with indiscriminate and unnecessary violence.
   - Simple: The killing of many people who cannot fight back, done with cruel and needless violence.
   - _Survivors described the massacre as something they would never forget._
   - _International observers demanded an inquiry into the massacre of unarmed protesters._
3. An overwhelming defeat in a game or sport, with one side winning by a wide margin.
   - Simple: A game or match where one side loses very badly.
   - _The final score turned what was billed as a close contest into a massacre._
   - _Fans left at halftime, unable to watch the massacre unfold any further._

## Verb

2. To kill people in large numbers when they can offer little resistance, with indiscriminate and unnecessary violence.
   - Simple: To kill many people who cannot fight back, using cruel and needless violence.
   - _Government troops massacred hundreds of civilians during the uprising._
   - _The general ordered his men to massacre the defenders without mercy._
4. To defeat an opponent very decisively, winning by a wide margin.
   - Simple: To beat an opponent very easily in a game or contest.
   - _Our team massacred the visitors in the second half._
   - _They fully expected to massacre their rivals on home turf._
5. To give a very bad rendition of a musical, dramatic, or other work.
   - Simple: To perform a song, piece of music, or play very badly.
   - _The nervous student massacred the sonata at the recital._
   - _Please don't massacre the national anthem again the way you did last year._
6. To kill someone in an extremely violent or brutal way. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: To kill someone using extreme force and brutality.
   - _The attacker massacred his victim in a savage frenzy._
   - _Such fury could drive anyone to massacre a defenseless person._

## Noun

7. Murder; the unlawful killing of a person. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The crime of murder, where one person kills another on purpose.

## Origin

First recorded around 1580, from Middle French massacre, from Old French macacre and related forms meaning "slaughterhouse, butchery," usually thought to come from a verb meaning "to slaughter." It also appears in Medieval Latin mazacrium, but its further origin is disputed, with proposed sources including Latin macellum ("butcher shop"), a Vulgar Latin verb, and a Middle Low German word for "to massacre."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/massacre (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).