Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “slaughter” come from?

slaughter (Middle English) comes from Old Norse slahtr, from Proto-Germanic slahtrą, from Proto-Germanic slahaną, from Proto-Indo-European slak- — to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...

Ancestry of “slaughter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseslahtr—
2Proto-Germanicslahtrą—
3Proto-Germanicslahanąto hit, to strike; to kill
4Proto-Indo-Europeanslak-to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...

Words derived from “slaughter”

  • slaughter
  • slaughtering
  • slaughterhouse
  • slaughterer
  • slaughterous
  • slaughterman
  • preslaughter
  • manslaughtering
  • manslaughterer
  • slaughterable
  • slaughterhall
  • slaughterously
  • slaughteress
  • slaughterperson
  • unslaughterable
  • slaughterless
  • godslaughter
  • slaughterwoman
  • antislaughter
  • catslaughter
  • deerslaughter
  • slaughterdom
Every word from Proto-Indo-European slak- →