First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1murder
noun mur·der \ˈmər-dər\
: the crime of deliberately killing a person
: something that is very difficult or unpleasant
Full Definition of MURDER
1
: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought
2
a : something very difficult or dangerous <the traffic was murder> b : something outrageous or blameworthy <getting away with murder>
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Origin of MURDER
partly from Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; partly from Middle English murdre, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English morthor; akin to Old High German mord murder, Latin mort-, mors death, mori to die, mortuus dead, Greek brotos mortal
Related to MURDER
Other Legal Terms
2murder
verb
: to kill (a person) in a deliberate and unlawful way : to commit the murder of (someone)
: to spoil or ruin (something) : to perform (something) very badly
: to defeat (an opponent) very badly
mur·deredmur·der·ing \ˈmər-d(ə-)riŋ\
Full Definition of MURDER
transitive verb
1
: to kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice
2
: to slaughter wantonly : slay
intransitive verb
: to commit murder
See murder defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of MURDER
13th century
Related to MURDER
Synonym Discussion of MURDER
kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life. kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner <killed in an accident> <frost killed the plants>. slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive <slew thousands of the Philistines>. murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility <convicted of murdering a rival>. assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives <terrorists assassinated the Senator>. dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death <dispatched the sentry with one bullet>. execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty <executed by lethal gas>.
MURDER[1] Defined for Kids
1murder
noun mur·der \ˈmər-dər\
Definition of MURDER for Kids
: the intentional and unlawful killing of a human being
2murder
verb
mur·deredmur·der·ing
Definition of MURDER for Kids
1
: to kill (someone) intentionally and unlawfully
2
: to spoil or ruin by performing or using badly <murder a song>
— mur·der·er noun
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