2 entries 1 source
Butcher
Open directlyWebster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 1 of 2
Part of speech: noun (n.)
1. One who slaughters animals, or dresses their flesh for market; one whose occupation it is to kill animals for food.
2. A slaughterer; one who kills in large numbers, or with unusual cruelty; one who causes needless loss of life, as in battle. "Butcher of an innocent child." Shak. Butcher bird (Zoöl.), a species of shrike of the genus Lanius.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 2 of 2
Part of speech: verb (v.)
1. To kill or slaughter (animals) for food, or for market; as, to butcher hogs.
2. To murder, or kill, especially in an unusually bloody or barbarous manner. Macaulay. [Ithocles] was murdered, rather butchered. Ford.