slaughtering

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
slaughter /ˈslɔːtə/

▶noun

• 1 the killing of farm animals for food.

• 2 the killing of a large number of people in a cruel or violent way.

• 3 informal a thorough defeat.

▶verb

• 1 kill (animals) for food.

• 2 kill (people) in a cruel or violent way.

• 3 informal defeat (an opponent) thoroughly.

– derivatives
slaughterer noun,
slaughterous adjective.

– origin ME (as n.): from ON slátr ‘butcher's meat’; rel. to slay1.