Massacred

Massacred is the past tense of massacre, a verb used to describe the killing of a large number of people, often in a brutal or indiscriminate way. In common usage, massacres refer to incidents in which civilians or unarmed combatants are killed in large numbers during war, civil conflict, or sectarian violence. The term emphasizes both the scale of the loss and an impression of deliberate cruelty or lack of restraint, distinguishing these events from ordinary combat fatalities.

The term stems from the noun massacre, borrowed into English from Italian masacrare or French massacrer, with roots linked to the notion of butcher or slaughter. The exact linguistic origins are debated. By the 17th century, English had adopted massacre as a verb meaning to kill many people in a single episode.

In usage, massacre is often used by journalists, historians, and commentators to describe large-scale killings, typically involving civilians and occurring in a relatively short time frame. It is not a formal legal term, though acts described as massacres may be prosecuted under relevant laws as war crimes or crimes against humanity in appropriate jurisdictions. The word can carry moral and political weight, and its application can be controversial if the event’s context or scale is disputed.

Notable events described as massacres include the My Lai Massacre (1968) in Vietnam, the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon, and the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre in the United States.

See also: slaughter, genocide, war crime, crimes against humanity.