# butcher
## English
### Pronunciation

* (UK, General Australian) IPA: /ˈbʊt͡ʃ.ə(ɹ)/
* (US, Canada) IPA: /ˈbʊt͡ʃ.ɚ/
** Audio (California):(file)
* Rhymes: -ʊtʃə(ɹ)

### Etymology 1

From Middle English bocher, boucher, from Old French bouchier (“goat slaughterer”), from Old French bouc (“goat”), from Medieval Latin buccus (“he-goat”), of Germanic origin. More at English buck.

#### Noun

butcher (plural butchers)
* A person who prepares and sells meat (and sometimes also slaughters the animals).
** 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter I, in 'The House Behind the Cedars:He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days...
* (figurative) A brutal or indiscriminate killer.
    Synonyms: carnager, mayhemist
** c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:Butcher of an innocent child.
* (Cockney rhyming slang, from butcher's hook) A look.
* (informal, obsolete) A person who sells candy, drinks, etc. in theatres, trains, circuses, etc.
* (colloquial, archaic, card games) A king playing card.
    Coordinate term: bitch

##### Synonyms

* flesher
* slayer

##### Derived terms

* butcherbird
* butcher bird
* butcher block
* butcher blue
* butcher boy
* butcherdom
* butcherer
* butcheress
* butcher knife
* butcherless
* butcherlike
* butcherly
* butcherous
* butcher paper
* butcher's
* butcher's apron
* butcher's bill
* butcher's block
* butcher's broom
* butcher's hook
* butcher shop
* butchershop
* butcher's knife
* butcher's mourning
* butcher's paper
* butcher's steak
* butcher's stripes, butcher stripes
* butcher's thumb
* fit as a butcher's dog
* horse butcher
* news butcher
* outbutcher
* Piccadilly butcher
* pig butcher
* pork butcher
* slink butcher

##### Descendants

* → Hindi: बूचड़ (būcaṛ)
* → Swahili: bucha
* → Urdu: بُوچَڑ (būcaṛ)

##### Translations

Albanian: maqellar
Apache:
Western Apache: itsįʼ nyiłgeeshí
Arabic: جَزَّار m (jazzār), قَصَّاب m (qaṣṣāb), لَحَّام m (laḥḥām)
Egyptian Arabic: جزار m (gazzār)
Hijazi Arabic: جَزَّار m (jazzār)
Moroccan Arabic: جزار m (gazzār)
North Levantine Arabic: لَحَّام m (laḥḥām)
South Levantine Arabic: لَحَّام m (laḥḥām), جَزَّار m (jazzār), قَصَّاب m (qaṣṣāb)
Armenian: մսագործ (hy) (msagorc), մսավաճառ (hy) (msavačaṙ)
Aromanian: cãrnar m, hãsap m, cãsap m
Assamese: কচাই (kosai)
Avar: къасабчи (qxʼasabči)
Azerbaijani: qəssab (az), ətçi
Basque: harakin (eu)
Belarusian: мясні́к m (mjasník)
Bengali: কসাই (bn) (kośai)
Bulgarian: меса́р m (mesár), меса́рка f (mesárka), каса́пин (bg) m (kasápin), каса́пка f (kasápka), кола́ч m (koláč), кола́чка f (koláčka)
Burmese: သားသတ်သမား (sa:satsa.ma:)
Catalan: carnisser (ca) m, carnissera (ca) f
Chechen: хаспанча (xaspanča)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 屠夫 (zh) (túfū), 屠戶 / 屠户 (zh) (túhù), 賣肉者 / 卖肉者 (màiròuzhě)
Cornish: kiger m, kigores f
Czech: řezník (cs) m, řeznice f
Danish: slagter (da) c
Dongxiang: migvachi
Dutch: slager (nl) m, beenhouwer (nl) m
Egyptian: (jmnḥ m)
Esperanto: buĉisto, buĉistino (female)
Estonian: lihunik (et)
Faroese: slaktari m, slátrari m
Finnish: lihakauppias (fi), lihanleikkaaja (fi), teurastaja (fi)
French: boucher (fr) m, bouchère (fr) f
Gagauz: kasap
Galician: carniceiro (gl) m, buxeo m, beche m
Georgian: ყასაბი (ka) (q̇asabi)
German: Fleischer (de) m, Fleischerin (de) f, Fleischhacker (de) m (Austrian), Fleischhackerin m (Austrian), Fleischhauer (de) m (Austrian), Fleischhauerin (de) m (Austrian), Metzger (de) m (esp. West Central German, South German), Metzgerin f (esp. West Central German, South German), Metzler m (Rhenish), Metzlerin f (Rhenish), Schlachter (de) m (North German), Schlachterin (de) f (North German), Schlächter (de) m (North German), Schlächterin f (North German), Knochenhauer (de) m (North German, obsolete), Knochenhauerin (de) f (North German, obsolete), Katzoff (de) m (Jewish, obsolescent), Katzuff (de) m (Jewish, obsolescent)
Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰 m (skilja)
Greek: χασάπης (el) m (chasápis), κρεοπώλης (el) m (kreopólis)
Ancient: ἄρταμος m (ártamos), μάγειρος m (mágeiros), σφαγεύς m (sphageús)
Hebrew: שׁוֹחֵט m (shokhét), קַצָּב (he) m (katsáv)
Hindi: क़साई m (qasāī), कसाई (hi) m (kasāī), बूचड़ (hi) m (būcaṛ), क़स्साब m (qassāb), कस्साब (hi) m (kassāb), गोघातक (hi) m (goghātak), बुजकसाब (hi) m (bujaksāb), बकरकसाब m (bakraksāb), कस्साई m (kassāī)
Hungarian: hentes (hu), mészáros (hu)
Icelandic: slátrari (is) m
Ido: buchero, buchisto (io), karnovendisto (io), karno-vendisto
Indonesian: tukang daging (id)
Ingrian: mäsnikkä
Irish: feolaire m, búistéir m
Italian: macellaio (it) m, macellaia f
Japanese: 肉屋 (ja) (にくや, nikuya)
Kazakh: қасапшы (qasapşy), етші (etşı)
Khmer: អ្នកលក់សាច់ (nĕək lŭək sac), គោឃាតក៍ (kookhiət)
Korean: 푸주한 (pujuhan)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: قەساب (qesab)
Northern Kurdish: qesab (ku), serjêker (ku)
Kyrgyz: касапчы (ky) (kasapcı)
Ladino: kasap
Lao: ຄົນຂາຍຊີ້ນ (khon khāi sīn)
Latin: lanius m, macellārius m
Latvian: miesnieks m, miesniece f
Lezgi: кьасабчи (q̇asabči)
Limburgish: slechter (li) m
Lithuanian: mėsininkas m
Macedonian: месар m (mesar), месарка f (mesarka), касап m (kasap)
Malay: tukang daging
Maltese: biċċier m
Middle English: bocher
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: яргачин (mn) (jargačin)
Neapolitan: chianchiere
Norman: bouochi m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: slakter m
Nynorsk: slaktar m
Ottoman Turkish: قصاب (kasâb)
Pashto: قصاب (ps) m (qasāb)
Persian: قَصّاب (fa) (qassâb)
Plautdietsch: Fleescha m
Polish: rzeźnik (pl) m, rzeźniczka f, masarz (pl) m, masarka (pl) f
Portuguese: talhante (pt) m or f (Portugal), açougueiro (pt) m, açougueira f (Brazil)
Quechua: ñak'aq
Romanian: măcelar (ro) m, măcelăreasă (ro) f
Romansch: mazler, batger, bacher
Russian: мясни́к (ru) m (mjasník)
Scottish Gaelic: feòladair m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ме̏са̄р m, ме̏сарица f, ка̀сапин m, касапинка f
Roman: mȅsār (sh) m, mȅsarica (sh) f, kàsapin (sh) m, kasapinka (sh) f
Sicilian: ghiancheri (scn) m, bucceri (scn) m, vucceri (scn) m, ucceri (scn) m
Slovak: mäsiar (sk) m, mäsiarka f
Slovene: mesar (sl) m, mesarka f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: rěznik m, rěznica f
Spanish: carnicero (es) m, carnicera (es) f, matarife (es) m
Swahili: bucha, mchinjaji
Swedish: slaktare (sv) c, styckare c, charkuterist (sv) c (the salesman)
Tagalog: manlalapa, tagalapa, matador
Tajik: қассоб (qassob), гӯштфурӯш (güštfurüš)
Tatar: итче (tt) (itçe)
Telugu: కసాయి (te) (kasāyi)
Thai: คนขายเนื้อ (kon-kǎai-nʉ́ʉa)
Tibetan: ཤ་ཁང (sha khang)
Turkish: kasap (tr)
Turkmen: gassap
Ukrainian: м'ясни́к (uk) m (mʺjasnýk), м'яса́р m (mʺjasár), м'яса́рка f (mʺjasárka)
Urdu: قَصائی m (qasāī), قَصّاب m (qassāb), بُوچَڑ m (būcaṛ)
Uyghur: قاسساپ (qassap)
Uzbek: qassob (uz)
Vietnamese: người hàng thịt
Walloon: mangon (wa) m, botchî (wa) m, manguinresse (wa) f, botchresse (wa) f
Welsh: cigydd (cy) m
Yiddish: קצבֿ m (katsev), שוחט m (shoykhet) :

#### Verb

butcher (third-person singular simple present butchers, present participle butchering, simple past and past participle butchered)
* (transitive) To slaughter (animals) and prepare (meat) for market.
    Synonyms: kill, slaughter
* (intransitive) To work as a butcher.
** 2008, Monte Dwyer, Red In The Centre: The Australian Bush Through Urban Eyes, Monyer Pty Ltd, page 121:He tells me he now earns three times as much as he did butchering.
* (transitive) To kill brutally.
    Synonyms: massacre, slay
* (transitive) To ruin (something), often to the point of defamation.
    Synonym: murder
    The band at that bar really butchered "Hotel California".
* (transitive) To mess up hopelessly; to botch; to distort beyond recognition.
    Synonyms: debase, bastardize
    I am bad at pronouncing names, so my apologies if I butcher any of your names.

##### Translations

Arabic: جَزَر m (jazar)
Armenian: մորթել (hy) (mortʻel)
Bulgarian: коля (bg) (kolja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 屠宰 (zh) (túzǎi)
Czech: porážet (cs)
Dutch: slachten (nl)
Egyptian: (zfṯ)
Esperanto: buĉi
Finnish: teurastaa (fi), leikata (fi)
French: abattre (fr)
Friulian: macelâ
Georgian: დაკვლა (daḳvla)
German: schlachten (de)
Greek: σφαγιάζω (el) (sfagiázo)
Ancient: σφάζω (spházō), κρεουργέω (kreourgéō)
Hungarian: levág (hu), leöl (hu)
Indonesian: menjagal (id)
Italian: macellare (it)
Japanese: 屠殺する (ja) (とさつする, tosatsu suru)
Kazakh: сою (soü)
Latgalian: kaut
Latvian: kaut (lv)
Limburgish: slechte (li)
Macedonian: касапи (kasapi), коле (kole)
Navajo: náʼáłʼah
Norwegian: slakte (no)
Portuguese: abater (pt), talhar (pt), cortar (pt)
Romanian: măcelări (ro), omorî (ro), tăia (ro)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: транши́рати, ка̀сапити, меса́рити
Roman: tranšírati (sh), kàsapiti (sh), mesáriti (sh)
Spanish: carnear (es), matar (es), destazar (es), despostar (es), pishtar (Peru)
Swedish: slakta (sv), stycka (sv)
Turkish: kesmek (tr)
Volapük: miticöpön (vo) :
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### References

* (king playing card): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

### Etymology 2

From butch +‎ -er.

#### Adjective

butcher
* comparative form of butch: more butch
** 2003, Alisa Solomon, Re-Dressing the Canon: Essays on Theatre and Gender, page 170:Weaver and Shaw dance together and almost immediately another butch, an even butcher butch (Leslie Feinberg), cuts in to dance with Shaw (though Shaw would kill me if she heard me call someone a butcher butch).

### Anagrams

* Buchert