different between massacre vs exterminate

English

Alternative forms

• massacer (archaic)

Etymology

1580, from Middle French massacre, from Old French macacre, marcacre, macecre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), usually thought to be deverbal from Old French macecrer, macecler (“to slaughter”), though the noun seems to be attested somewhat earlier. It is also found in Medieval Latin mazacrium (“massacre, slaughter, killing”, also “the head of a newly killed stag”). Further origin disputed:

• From Latin macellum (“butcher shop”).
• From Vulgar Latin *matteucul?re, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea, mattia, from Latin mateola.
• From Middle Low German *matskelen (“to massacre”) (compare German metzeln (“massacre”)), frequentative of matsken, matzgen (“to cut, hew”), from Proto-West Germanic *maitan, from Proto-Germanic *maitan? (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- (“small”). Akin to Old High German meizan (“to cut”) among others.
• Note also Arabic ?????????? (majzara), originally “spot where animals are slaughtered”, now also “massacre”, and in Maghrebi Arabic “slaughterhouse”. Derived from ??????? (jazara, “to cut, slaughter”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?mæs.?.k?/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?mæs.?.k?(?)/

Noun

massacre (countable and uncountable, 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.

Synonyms

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

Hyponyms

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

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 etc being performed.

Translations

Anagrams

• Marescas, massacer

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French massacre.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /m??sa.k??/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ma?sa.k?e/

Noun

massacre f (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar

Further reading

• “massacre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.sak?/

Etymology 1

From Middle French massacre, from the verb massacrer.

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrer

Descendants

Etymology 2

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. third-person singular present subjunctive of massacrer
5. second-person singular imperative of massacrer

Further reading

• “massacre” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• sacrâmes, sarcasme

Middle French

Etymology

Of disputed origin:

• Most likely from Old French macecrer, macecler, from Vulgar Latin *matteucul?re, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattia, *mattea, from Latin mateola.
• From a derivative of Latin macellum (“butcher shop”), although this is less likely.
• From Old French macacre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), alternatively 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”)), frequentative of matsken, matzgen (“to cut, hew”), from Proto-West Germanic *maitan, from Proto-Germanic *maitan? (“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

Descendants

• French: massacre

Occitan

Etymology

From French massacre

Pronunciation

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French massacre.

Pronunciation

Noun

massacre m (plural massacres)

1. massacre

Related terms

• massacrar
• massacrante

English

Etymology

From Latin extermin?tus, perfect passive participle of extermin?, itself from ex- + termin? (“I finish, close, end”) (from terminus (“limit, end”)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?st??.m?.ne?t/, /?k?st??.m?.ne?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?st?.m?.ne?t/, /?k?st?.m?.ne?t/

Verb

exterminate (third-person singular simple present exterminates, present participle exterminating, simple past and past participle exterminated)

1. (transitive) To kill all of (a population of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.

   We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.

2. (figuratively, transitive) To bring a definite end to; finish completely.

   The public school failed to exterminate truancy.

Synonyms

• (to kill all): annihilate, eradicate, extermine, uproot
• (to bring an end to): stamp out
• See also Thesaurus:destroy

Derived terms

Related terms

• terminate
• termination
• terminator

Translations

Latin

Verb

extermin?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of extermin?