massacreとは

意味・読み方・使い方

語源

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 *matteuculāre, 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-Germanic *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- (“small”). Akin to Old High German meizan (“to cut”) among others.
• Note also Arabic مَجْزَرَة‎ (majzara), originally “spot where animals are slaughtered”, now also “massacre”, and in Maghrebi Arabic “slaughterhouse”. Derived from جَزَرَ‎ (jazara, “to cut, slaughter”).

発音

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmæs.ə.kɚ/
• (英国発音) IPA^(key): /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/

名詞

massacre (countable かつ uncountable, 複数形 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. (figurative) Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport.

同意語

• (mass killing contrary to civilized norms): butchery, slaughter (in the manner of livestock); decimation (strictly an orderly selection of ⅒ of a group for slaughter; see its entry for other terms concerning other ratios)

下位語

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

関連する語

• carnage
• mass murder
• massacrer
• massacree

動詞

massacre (三人称単数 現在形 massacres, 現在分詞 massacring, 過去形および過去分詞形 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. (figurative) To win so decisively it is in the manner of so slaughtering one's opponent.
3. (figurative) To give a performance so poorly it is in the manner of so slaughtering the musical piece, play etc being performed.

アナグラム

• Marescas, massacer