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butch·er

(bchər)

a. One who slaughters and dresses animals for food or market.

b. One who sells meats.

2. One that kills brutally or indiscriminately.

3. A vendor, especially one on a train or in a theater.

4. One who bungles something.

tr.v. butch·ered, butch·er·ing, butch·ers

1. To slaughter or prepare (animals) for market.

2. To kill brutally or indiscriminately.

3. To botch; bungle: butcher a project; butchered the language. See Synonyms at botch.

[Middle English bucher, from Old French bouchier, from bouc, boc, he-goat, probably of Celtic origin.]

butcher·er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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