Slaughter and slay

Slaughter and slay
 

Are these verbs synonyms? I meant, both of them mean "kill with violence", more or less. :thinking:

Perdón, estoy muy pesada hoy...

My guess is that they are more or less synonyms (they are etymologically related), but I have very rarely heard 'slay' in BrE. In fact, the only time I've seen it is in American newspapers.

Slaughter can mean to kill violently (cf. German Schlacht - a battle) but can also mean to kill an animal for food (so possibly humanely. This is usually done in a slaughterhouse) (cf. German Schlachtplatter - a disgusting dish of meats from a newly slaughtered animal)

No estás pesada hoy. Esa pregunta me hace pensar porque los significados son semejantes.
Cattle are slaughtered (not slain) at slaughterhouses.
Reses estan matados en mataderos.

When a person is slaughtered, they are brutally murdered like an animal
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To slay is more dignified. St George slew the dragon.
Sometimes a soldier may have to slay the enemy, but when a soldier
slaughters his enemy there is less dignity involved and perhaps wrong-doing.

Slay, from Sons & Lovers... :rolleyes: ;)

Here we say "sacrificar a un animal", which doesn't have this connotation of something brutal.

Thanks for clarifying the differences. :) :rose:

Sorry to introduce noise here, but if "to slaughter" is to kill with violence, why does it have a smaller punishment than murder? :thinking:

You may be confusing slaughter with manslaughter which is non-premeditated murder.

Slaughter is what's done to animals. When a human is slaughtered the context is awful.

Hah! :duh: "Manslaughter" makes all the difference. Thank you, poli! :rose:

How strange - I said I hardly ever encounter the word 'slay' and I've just done it again today. The text is however one written in the year 1610. :eek:

The past tense "slew" is probably more common, albeit only in quotes from the AV*.


* Authorised Version, an old translation of the Bible.

Slightly more recently:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoever_Slew_Auntie_Roo%3F

There's more. In fact I have a whole slew of examples :rolleyes:
zombies, monsters, cops etc

I can use that word when a person or severals person are kill them.

I mean, I can say they was slaughtered brutally or cruelly.

I appreciate your support.