First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1butcher
noun butch·er \ˈbu̇-chər\
: someone who cuts and sells meat in a shop
: someone who kills animals and prepares their meat to be eaten
: a shop that sells meat
Full Definition of BUTCHER
1
a : a person who slaughters animals or dresses their flesh b : a dealer in meat
2
: one that kills ruthlessly or brutally
3
: one that bungles or botches
4
: a vendor especially on trains or in theaters
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Origin of BUTCHER
Middle English bocher, from Anglo-French, from buc he-goat, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish bocc he-goat — more at buck
2butcher
verb
: to kill (an animal) and prepare its meat for sale
: to kill (people or animals) in a brutal and cruel way
: to do (something) very badly : to make a mess of (something)
butch·eredbutch·er·ing \ˈbu̇ch-riŋ, ˈbu̇-chə-\
Full Definition of BUTCHER
transitive verb
1
: to slaughter and dress for market <butcher hogs>
2
: to kill in a barbarous manner
3
: botch <butchered the play>
See butcher defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of BUTCHER
1562
Related to BUTCHER
- Synonyms
- massacre, mow (down), slaughter
BUTCHER Defined for Kids
1butcher
noun butch·er \ˈbu̇-chər\
Definition of BUTCHER for Kids
1
: a person whose business is killing animals for sale as food
2
: a dealer in meat
3
: a person who kills in large numbers or in a brutal manner
2butcher
verb
butch·eredbutch·er·ing
Definition of BUTCHER for Kids
1
: to kill and prepare (an animal) for food
2
3
: to make a mess of : botch <I let my mother cut my hair and she butchered it.>
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