butch·er

(bo͝och′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.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

butchering - the business of a butcher

butchery

slaughter - the killing of animals (as for food)

business enterprise, commercial enterprise, business - the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects; "computers are now widely used in business"

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Doubtless one leading reason why the world declines honoring us whalemen, is this: they think that, at best, our vocation amounts to a butchering sort of business; and that when actively engaged therein, we are surrounded by all manner of defilements.

View in context

I enjoy all tasks involved in butchery, from serving customers, to breaking down primal cuts and butchering on the block, sausage and other production, making our award-winning pies from scratch and working with the staff to help create new and innovative value add and kitchen ready products for our customers."

Butchers get knives out for competition; CUTTING EDGE Local trio to test skills against best in the world

BUTCHERING BEEF joins its companion reference BUTCHERING POULTRY, RABBIT, LAMB, GOAT, AND PORK to provide a solid reference from a professional butcher who here describes each stage of the butchering process for beef, from killing the animal humanely to dressing and cooling its carcass and breaking down the meat.

Butchering Beef

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