- butchery
- noun (plural -eries) Date: 14th century 1. chiefly British slaughterhouse 2. the preparation of meat for sale 3. cruel and ruthless slaughter of human beings 4. botch
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
butchery
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Butchery — Butch er*y, n. [OE. bocherie shambles, fr. F. boucherie. See {Butcher}, n.] 1. The business of a butcher. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. Murder or manslaughter, esp. when committed with unusual barbarity; great or cruel slaughter. Shak. [1913 Webster]… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
butchery — index homicide Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
butchery — mid 15c., bocherie, from O.Fr. bocherie, from bochier (see BUTCHER (Cf. butcher)) … Etymology dictionary
butchery — slaughter, *massacre, carnage, pogrom Analogous words: murdering or murder, slaying, killing (see corresponding verbs at KILL) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
butchery — [booch′ər ē] n. pl. butcheries [ME bocherie < OFr boucherie: see BUTCHER] 1. Now Chiefly Brit. a place where animals are killed for meat; slaughterhouse 2. the work or business of a butcher 3. brutal bloodshed or slaughter 4. the act or result … English World dictionary
butchery — [[t]b ʊtʃəri[/t]] 1) N UNCOUNT (disapproval) You can refer to the cruel killing of a lot of people as butchery when you want to express your horror and disgust at this. In her view, war is simply a legalised form of butchery. 2) N UNCOUNT… … English dictionary
butchery — butch|er|y [ˈbutʃəri] n [U] 1.) cruel and unnecessary killing ▪ the butchery of battle 2.) the preparation of meat for sale … Dictionary of contemporary English
butchery — butch|er|y [ butʃəri ] noun uncount 1. ) the cruel and violent killing of a lot of people: SLAUGHTER: At least 200 people lost their lives in the butchery. 2. ) the work of cutting up animals to be sold as meat … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
butchery — noun (U) 1 cruel and unnecessary killing: the butchery of battle 2 the preparation of meat for sale … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
butchery — butcher ► NOUN 1) a person who cuts up and sells meat as a trade. 2) a person who slaughters animals for food. 3) a person who kills brutally or indiscriminately. ► VERB 1) slaughter or cut up (an animal) for food. 2) kill (someone) brutally. 3) … English terms dictionary
