see also: Murder
Etymology
From Middle English murder, murdre, mourdre, alteration of earlier murthre (see murther), from Old English morþor and Old English myrþra, both from Proto-West Germanic *morþr, from Proto-Germanic *murþrą, from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥tro-, from Proto-Indo-European *mer-, *mor-, *mr̥-.
The -d- in the Middle English - form may have been influenced in part by Anglo-Norman murdre, from Old French murdre, from Medieval Latin murdrum (whence the English doublet of murdrum), from Frankish *morþr, *murþr ("murder"), from the same Germanic root, though this may also have been wholly the result of internal development (compare burden, from burthen).
Pronunciation Nounmurder
- (uncountable) The crime of killing a person unlawfully, especially with predetermination.
- The defendant was charged with murder.
- (uncountable, legal, in jurisdictions which use the felony murder rule) The act of committing or abetting a crime that results in the killing of a person, regardless of intent, and even if the committer or abettor is not the one who killed the person: felony murder.
- (countable) The act of killing a person (or sometimes another being) unlawfully, especially with predetermination
- There have been ten unsolved murders this year alone.
- 1984, Humphrey Carpenter, Mari Prichard, The Oxford companion to children's literature, page 275:
- It may be guessed, indeed, that this was the original form of the story, the fairy being the addition of those who considered Jack's thefts from (and murder of) the giant to be scarcely justified without her.
- (uncountable, used as a predicative noun) Something terrible to endure.
- This headache is murder.
- (countable, collective) A group of crows; the collective noun for crows.
- (dated slang) Something remarkable or impressive.
- 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tell a Green Man Something”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 3 (1928–1935: The Big Apple), page 230 ↗:
- Right quick another cat spoke up real loud, saying, “That’s murder man, really murder,” and his eyes were signifying too.
- (act of deliberate killing) homicide, manslaughter, assassination
- (group of crows) flock
- French: meurtre, homicide volontaire
- German: Mord
- Italian: assassinio, omicidio, uccisione
- Portuguese: assassínio (Portugal), homicídio, assassinato (Brazil)
- Russian: уби́йство
- Spanish: asesinato
- French: meurtre, assassinat
- German: Mord
- Italian: assassinio, omicidio
- Portuguese: assassínio (Portugal), homicídio, assassinato (Brazil)
- Russian: уби́йство
- Spanish: asesinato
- German: Mord, mörderisch (adjective)
- Portuguese: tortura
- Portuguese: bando
murder (murders, present participle murdering; simple past and past participle murdered)
- To illegally kill (a person or persons) with intent, especially with predetermination
- The woman found dead in her kitchen was murdered by her husband.
- 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “The Historie of Englande”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC ↗, page 26 ↗, columns 1–2:
- In the meane time it chaunced, that Marcus Papyrius ſtroke one of the Galles on the heade with his ſtaffe, because he preſumed to ſtroke his bearde: with whiche iniurie the Gaulle beeing prouoked, ſlue Papyrius (as he ſate) with hys ſworde, and therewith the ſlaughter being begun with one, all the reſidue of thoſe auncient fatherly men as they ſat in theyr Chayres were ſlaine and cruelly murthered.
- (transitive, sports, figuratively, colloquial, hyperbolic) To defeat decisively.
- Our team is going to murder them.
- (figuratively, colloquial, hyperbolic) To kick someone's ass or chew someone out (used to express one’s anger at somebody).
- He's torn my best shirt. When I see him, I'll murder him!
- To botch or mangle.
- (figuratively, colloquial, British) To devour, ravish.
- I could murder a hamburger right now.
- 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children's Books, →ISBN:
- “Is that so? Well, I could murder a cup of tea,” said Auntie Flip.
- (deliberately kill) assassinate, kill, massacre, slaughter
- (defeat decisively) thrash, trounce, wipe the floor with
- (express one’s anger at) kill
- French: occire (obsolete), meurtrir (obsolete), assassiner
- German: ermorden
- Italian: assassinare
- Portuguese: assassinar
- Russian: убива́ть
- Spanish: asesinar
- French: anéantir
- German: massakrieren
- Italian: massacrare
- Portuguese: detonar, massacrar, destroçar, acabar com, destruir
- Russian: разгроми́ть
- Spanish: cepillarse (colloquial), ventilarse (colloquial), aplastar, aniquilar
- Italian: distruggere
- Portuguese: devorar
- Spanish: devorar, meterse entre pecho y espalda
Murder
Etymology
English surname from the verb murder, originally given to someone who had a reputation of being a murderer or was accused of committing murder.
Proper nounThis text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
