Massacre
 |
This article appears to be a dictionary definition. Please rewrite it to present the subject from an encyclopedic point of view. If it cannot be turned into a full encyclopedia article in the near future, consider moving it to Wiktionary.
Steps for moving to Wiktionary:
If Wiktionary has a definition already, change this tag to {{TWCleanup2}} or else consider a soft redirect to Wiktionary by replacing the text on this page with {{Wi}}. If Wiktionary does not have the definition yet, consider moving the whole article to Wiktionary by replacing this tag with the template {{Copy to Wiktionary}}. This template will no longer automatically categorize articles as candidates to move to Wiktionary. |
 |
This article needs attention from an expert in history. The specific problem is: poorly written attempt at a dictionary definition. (September 2012) |
 |
It has been suggested that this article be merged with List of events named massacres. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2013. |
A massacre is an incident where some group is killed by another, and the perpetrating party are perceived to be in total control of force while the victimized party is perceived to be helpless and/or innocent with regard to any legitimate offense. There is no clear-cut definition for when killings are referred to as massacres or not, rather, this choice is a result of an individual or collective assessment, depending e.g. on how the circumstances of the killing align with given ideas of acceptable use of force and on the desired status of an event in collective memory.[2]
The first recorded use in English of the word massacre in the name of an event is "Marlowe (c1600), The massacre at Paris"[3] (a reference to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre). The word is ultimately derived from a Middle Low German *matskelen meaning "to slaughter".
Massacre can also be used as a verb, as "To kill (people or, less commonly, animals) in numbers, esp. brutally and indiscriminately", the first usage of which was "1588 J. PENRY Viewe Publ. Wants Wales 65 Men which make no conscience for gaine sake, to break the law of the æternall, and massaker soules...are dangerous subjects".[4]
The term can also be used metaphorically for events that do not involve any deaths, such as the Saturday Night Massacre - the dismissals and resignations of political appointees during the Watergate scandal.
See also [edit]
 |
Look up massacre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- List of events named massacres
- Mass murder
- Disaster
- Tragedy (event)
- Genocide
- Ethnic cleansing
- Killing spree
References [edit]
- ^ Dadrian, Vahakn N. (1999). Warrant for Genocide: Key Elements of Turko-Armenian Conflict. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. p. 153. ISBN 1-56000-389-8.
- ^ Levene, Mark; Roberts, Penny, eds. (1999). The Massacre in History. Studies on War and Genocide 1. Oxford/New York: Berghahn. ISBN 1571819355.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary Massacre, n.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary Massacre, v.
