Hypertext Webster Gateway: "slaughter"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Slaughter \Slaugh"ter\, n. [OE. slautir, slaughter, slaghter,
Icel. sl[=a]tr slain flesh, modified by OE. slaught, slaht,
slaughter, fr. AS. sleaht a stroke, blow; both from the root
of E. slay. See {Slay}, v. t., and cf. {Onslaught}.]
The act of killing. Specifically:
(a) The extensive, violent, bloody, or wanton destruction of
life; carnage.
On war and mutual slaughter bent. --Milton.
(b) The act of killing cattle or other beasts for market.
Syn: Carnage; massacre; butchery; murder; havoc.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Slaughter \Slaugh"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Slaughtered}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Slaughtering}.]
1. To visit with great destruction of life; to kill; to slay
in battle.
Your castle is surprised; your wife and babes
Savagely slaughtered. --Shak.
2. To butcher; to kill for the market, as beasts.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
slaughter
n 1: the killing of animals (as for food)
2: a sound defeat [syn: {thrashing}, {walloping}, {debacle}, {drubbing},
{trouncing}, {whipping}]
3: the savage and excessive killing of people [syn: {carnage},
{butchery}]
v 1: kill; used of animals, but also used for people to indicate
brutality [syn: {butcher}]
2: kill a large number of people indiscriminately; "The Hutus
massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda" [syn: {massacre}, {mow
down}]
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