# Kill, murder, slay, assassinate



## 涼宮

Hello there!

I am wondering if there are more languages out there that have those 4 distinctions or more to say ''kill'' like English does. How many verbs do you have for saying '''kill'' and if they have any special nuance? I'm not looking for euphemisms but verbs that indicate plain killing.

To kill= to end someone's life, it may be by accident or not.
To murder= to kill a human being, unlawfully and with malicious intention.
To slay= to kill violently (not usually used in modern English except in fairy tales or video games)
To assassinate= to murder a public or political figure.

In *Spanish* we have 2 verbs: _matar_ and _asesinar_. Matar =to kill, asesinar= to murder. We don't have 'slay' or 'assassinate'.

In *Japanese* you have mainly 5:

斬る _kiru_ = to kill a human using a blade (sword, knife, etc.)
殺す _korosu_ = to kill/murder
虐殺する _gyakusatsu suru_ = to slay (tyrannize + kill; it can also mean massive killing)
暗殺する _ansatsu suru_ = to assassinate (darkness + kill) 
枯らす _karasu_= to kill (vegetation)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*1-To kill*: 
1A/ «Σκοτώνω» [sko'tono] a derivation from the Classical verb «σκοτόω/σκοτῶ» skŏ'tŏō [uncontracted]/ skŏ'tō [contracted] --> lit. _to darken_, since Homer, _to kill_. PIE base *skot-, _shadow, darkness_ (cf. Eng. shadow; Ger. schatten; Nor. skodda).
1B/ «Φονεύω» [fo'nevo] a Classical verb «φονεύω» pʰŏ'neuō --> _to kill_, in Ancient Greek also, _to murder_. PIE base *gʷʰen-, _to slay, kill_ (cf. Skt हन्ति (hanti), _to strike_; Rus. гнать, _to drive_; Arm. գան (gan), _beating_).
1A is what is mostly used in the vernacular, 1B is more formal and considered bookish.
In Ancient Greek the verb was «ἀποκτείνω» ăpŏ'kteinō or its earlier form, «ἀποκτείνυμι» ăpŏ'kteinūmĭ --> _to kill, slay, put to death_.
*2-To murder*: «Δολοφονώ» [ðolofo'no] a Classical verb «δολοφονέω/δολοφονῶ» dŏlŏpʰŏ'nĕō [uncontracted]/ dŏlŏpʰŏ'nō [contracted] --> _to slay by treachery_; compound, masculine noun «δόλος» 'dŏlŏs, in MG ['ðolos] --> _trick, cunning, stratagem, treachery_ (PIE base *del-, _to recount, count_; cf. Lat. dolus > Sp. dolo; Eng. tale; Ger. zahlen) + masculine noun «φόνος» 'pʰŏnŏs, in MG ['fonos] --> _murder_.  
*3-To slay*: 
3A/ «Θανατώνω» [θana'tono] a derivation from the Classical verb «θανατόω/θανατῶ» tʰănă'tŏō [uncontracted]/ tʰănă'tō [contracted] --> _to put to death, slay_. From the masculine noun «θάνατος» 'tʰănătŏs, in MG ['θanatos] --> _death_ (PIE base *dʰwene-, _to disappear, die_; cf. Skt. ध्वान्त (dhvanta), _darkness_).
3B/ «Μακελλεύω» [mace'levo] a Medieval verb, which derives from the Classical neuter noun «μακελλεῖον» măkĕl'leiŏn --> _slaughterhouse_ (Lat. _laniatorium_) with obscure etymology. 
*4-To assassinate*: We use «δολοφονώ» [ðolofo'no] (see murder).

The killer is «φονέας» [fo'ne.as] -colloquially, «φονιάς» [fo'ɲas]- (masc.), «φόνισσα» ['fonisa] (fem.); the slayer is «μακελλάρης» [mace'laris] (masc.), «μακελλάρισσα» [mace'larisa] (fem.), while the murderer and the assassin is «δολοφόνος» [ðolo'fonos] (masc. & fem.)


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## DearPrudence

In *French*, more or less as in Spanish, we only have:
"*tuer*" _(kill / slay / matar)_
"*assassiner*" _(murder / (assassinate))_
We also have
"*occire*", which is a literary term for "tuer". It conjures up images of princes, princesses, knights and dragons to me


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## Rallino

In *Turkish* we have:

"*öldürmek*" _(kill)_
"*katletmek*" _(slay)_

For _murder _and _assassinate_ we use phrases:
*cinayet işlemek* _(to commit a murder)_
*suikast yapmak / suikastta bulunmak *_(lit. to make an assassination)_


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## Ilmen

DearPrudence said:


> We also have
> "*occire*", which is a literary term for "tuer". It conjures up images of princes, princesses, knights and dragons to me




I've never encountered this one, you taught me something.  The WR dictionnary marks it as an archaic word, while my (main) physical dictionnary say it's either literary or for joking, and that it is now only used in the infinitive or the past participle form "occis(e)".
My dictionnary defines it as "faire mourir, tuer", and says that it comes from the Latin "occidere".


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## Selyd

In Ukrainian:
To kill = to end someone's life, it may be by accident ornot.
*Загинути, згинути.*
To murder= to kill a human being, unlawfully and with malicious intention.
*Вбити, забити, згубити, скоїтивбивство, рішити, упорати, заколоти,зарізати, скарати, умертвити.*
To slay= to kill violently (not usually used in modern English except in fairytales or video games).
*Знищити*.
To assassinate= to murder a public or political figure.
*Вчинити замах.*


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:*_
_Döda_ - kill
_Mörda_ - murder
_Dräpa_ - slay
_Lönnmörda_ (murder in secret) - assassinate

_Avliva_ - euthanize, destroy (about animals), but can also be used for humans, especially when talking about legal executions (_avliva genom hängning_ = to hang somebody)
_Ha ihjäl_ - to kill, especially if killing someone accidentally, "_köra ihäl en fotgängare_" (kill a pedestrian), or in a phrase such as "_ska du ha ihjäl oss alla_" (are you trying to kill us all) and "_skrämma ihäl någon_" (scare/frighten someone to death)


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## Frank78

In German:

To kill= töten
To murder= ermorden
To slay= abschlachten (related to "schlachten=to slaughter)
To assassinate= no verb; the noun is "das Attentat" - It uis usually rendered as "einen Mordanschlag verüben" (="to commit an assasination") in German.


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## e2-e4 X

There is no difference among them all in Russian. The stylistically neutral perfective verb is "убить", the imperfective one is "убивать".


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## mataripis

Sa Tagalog (in Tagalog): 1.) To kill= patayin    2.)To murder= kitilin    3.) To slay=  utasin       4.) To assasinate= Paslangin       The common verb is "Patayin" that may represent all these 4 words in Filipino.


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## almostfreebird

涼宮 said:


> Hello there!
> 
> I am wondering if there are more languages out there that have those 4 distinctions or more to say ''kill'' like English does. How many verbs do you have for saying '''kill'' and if they have any special nuance? I'm not looking for euphemisms but verbs that indicate plain killing.
> 
> To kill= to end someone's life, it may be by accident or not.
> To murder= to kill a human being, unlawfully and with malicious intention.
> To slay= to kill violently (not usually used in modern English except in fairy tales or video games)
> To assassinate= to murder a public or political figure.
> 
> In *Spanish* we have 2 verbs: _matar_ and _asesinar_. Matar =to kill, asesinar= to murder. We don't have 'slay' or 'assassinate'.
> 
> In *Japanese* you have mainly 5:
> 
> 斬る _kiru_ = to kill a human using a blade (sword, knife, etc.)
> 殺す _korosu_ = to kill/murder
> 虐殺する _gyakusatsu suru_ = to slay (tyrannize + kill; it can also mean massive killing)
> 暗殺する _ansatsu suru_ = to assassinate (darkness + kill)
> 枯らす _karasu_= to kill (vegetation)




karasu means crow:


The crow has flown away.
Karasuは飛んでっちゃった。


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## 涼宮

Yes, but not with the kanji I gave, here it's not the animal, for instance you can say: 樹木を枯らす _jumoku wo karasu_ =to kill trees.


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## Montesacro

In Italian we have:

*uccidere, ammazzare, accoppare* (in increasing degree of informality, I should say): to kill
*assassinare*: to assassinate / to murder
*trucidare*: to slay


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## rayloom

Excluding synonyms, here's a list of verbs in Arabic (all conjugated for the 3rd person masculine singular perfect):

أمات _ʼamāta _(S-stem, root _mwt_) to cause death (akin to English deaden with the meaning to deprive of life)
قتل _qatala_ (G-stem, root _qtl_) to kill (neutral), also used to mean to murder.
اغتال _'iġtāla_ (Gt-stem, root _ġyl_) to assassinate
نحر _naḥara_ (G-stem, root_ nḥr_) to slay, its reflexive form انتحر _'inta__ḥar__a _(Gt-stem) means to commit suicide.
وأد _waʼada_ (G-stem, root _wʼd_) to commit infanticide
أباد _ʼabāda _(S-stem, root byd) to exterminate, used for genocides and such.
ذبح _ḏabaḥa_ (G-stem, root _ḏ__bḥ_) means also to slay, but it's used (along with its intensive form, and the intensive form of قتل _qatala_) to mean to commit a massacre. A massacre is called مذبحة _maḏbaḥa _or مجزرة _majzara_.

Arabic has an interesting list of words which are commonly (not exclusively though) used when death is attributed to God:
أمات _ʼam__āta_ which is neutral
توفى _tawaffā_ (tD-stem, root _wfy_) has a positive connotation (good death)
أهلك _ʼahlaka_ (S-stem, root _hlk_) has a negative connotation (bad death)
أفنى _ʼafnā _(S-stem, root _fny_) to destroy or exterminate


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## Ilmen

Montesacro said:


> In Italian we have:
> 
> *uccidere, ammazzare, accoppare* (in increasing degree of informality, I should say): to kill
> *assassinare*: to assassinate / to murder
> *trucidare*: to slay




This reminds me, in French there is also a verb "trucider".
In French, in addition to "tuer", "assasiner", "occire", "trucider", "abattre" etc, we can also mention more colloquial verbs such as "zigouiller" (translated as "do in" in the WR dictionary).


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## Roy776

Frank78 said:


> In German:
> 
> To kill= töten
> To murder= ermorden
> To slay= abschlachten (related to "schlachten=to slaughter)
> To assassinate= no verb; the noun is "das Attentat" - It uis usually rendered as "einen Mordanschlag verüben" (="to commit an assasination") in German.



Your list is correct, but 'to assassinate' HAS a German equivalent. The word is 'meucheln' and the corresponding noun is 'der Meuchelmord'.


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## origumi

Hebrew has many words for this, some are cognates of the ones rayloom listed for Arabic, some are different.

أمات _ʼamāta _(S-stem, root _mwt_) to cause death - *Hebrew* להמית lehamit = to cause death, root _mwt_
قتل _qatala_ (G-stem, root _qtl_) to kill - *Hebrew* לקטול liqtol = to kill, root _qtl
_اغتال _'iġtāla_ (Gt-stem, root _ġyl_) to assassinate
نحر _naḥara_ (G-stem, root_ nḥr_) to slay, *Hebrew* לנחור linḥor = to butcher an animal, root _nḥr_
وأد _waʼada_ (G-stem, root _wʼd_) to commit infanticide
أباد _ʼabāda _(S-stem, root byd) to exterminate
ذبح _ḏabaḥa_ (G-stem, root _ḏ__bḥ_) means also to slay - *Hebrew *לטבוח litboaḥ = to slay, root _tbḥ_.

Also:
להרוג laharog = to kill, root _hrg_
לרצוח lirtzoaḥ_ = _to murder, root _rtz__ḥ_ (tz is one consonant)
להתאבד lehitabed = to commit a suicide, also להאביד leha'avid= to cause fatal end or destruction, root _'bd_
לשחוט lishḥot_ = _to butcher or kill violently, root _shḥt_ (sh is one consonant)
להקריב lehaqriv = to sacrifice, root _qrb_
לזבוח lizboaḥ = to sacrifice, root _zbḥ_ (maybe this and not _tbḥ _is the cognate of Arabic _ḏbḥ_?_)_
לחסל leḥasel = to eliminate or assassinate (slang), root _ḥsl_
להתנקש lehitnaqesh = assassinate, root _nqsh_ (sh is one consonant)

I must have missed some more.


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## ThomasK

Dutch: _doden, vermoorden, _meaning 'to kill' (anyone, also animals) and 'to murder'. 
EXTRA : 
-_ afmaken, ombrengen_: refer to murdering people deliberately -- and interestingly both verbs consist of a main, general verb and a preposition that 'makes' the meaning (!): *af*- is like down (making sure someone is down, and dead, neutralized), _*om-*_ is like round, around, turned over (_ombrengen _- to bring someone in such a situation that he is so to speak 'turned around', upside down -- cf. _omkeren _= turn around)
-_ slachten, slaughter : (brutal) killing of animals and of people_
- _uitschakelen _(to switch out), _mollen_, to make die (_mol _= dead in argot): more like 'to eliminate'
- uitroeien (to root out literally), to exterminate (a people as a whole)
- etc.


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## Hamlet2508

What about annihilate , decimate or truncate then ?


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## apmoy70

Hamlet2508 said:


> What about annihilate , decimate or trucate then ?



*Annihilate*: «Eξολοθρεύω» [eksolo'θrevo] which derives from the Classical Greek verb «ἐξολεθρεύω» ĕksŏlĕ'tʰreuō --> _to annihilate, utterly destroy_; compound, prefix and preposition «ἐκ-» (which becomes «ἐξ-» when the following word begins with a vowel) --> _out, out of_ (PIE base *eghs, _out_) + Classical masc. noun «ὄλεθρος» 'ŏlĕtʰrŏs (in Modern Greek pronunciation: ['oleθros]) --> _ruin, destruction, death_ (with obsure etymology).
*Decimate*: «Αποδεκατίζω» [apoðeka'tizo] a Hellenistic verb «ἀποδεκατίζω» ăpŏdĕkă'tīzō --> lit. _to tithe, take a tenth of_, metaph. _to decimate_; compound, prefix and preposition «ἀπὸ» ă'pŏ --> _from, away from_ (PIE base *apo-, _off_) + verb «δεκατεύω» dĕkă'teuō or «δεκατίζω» dĕkă'tīzō --> _to exact tithe from someone_, from «δέκα» 'dĕkă --> indecl. numeral _ten_ (PIE base *déḱm̥t, _ten_).
*Exterminate*: See «εξολοθρεύω».
*Extinguish*: «Εξοντώνω» [ekson'dono] a modern word (constructed in 1761); compound, prefix and preposition «ἐκ-» + neuter present participle of verb «εἰμὶ» (to be), «ὄν» ŏn.
*Suicide*: 
Α) «Αυτοκτονώ» [aftokto'nο] which is a Classical verb «αὐτοκτονέω/αὐτοκτονῶ» autŏktŏ'nĕō [uncontracted]/autŏktŏ'nō [contracted] --> _to slay myself_; compound, combining form of self, «αὐτο-» + verb «κτείνω» 'kteinō* --> _to kill, slay_ (in Modern Greek only in compounds) with obscure etymology (some philologists see a link with the Skt. क्षीण (ksina), _injured_).
B) «Αυτοχειριάζομαι» [aftoçiri'azome] --> _to kill myself with my own hand_ which derives from the Classical Greek verb «αὐτοχειρίζω» autŏxei'rīzō --> _to commit murder with one's own hand_; note that in MG the verb is in mediopassive voice.
A is used in the colloquial language, B is bookish and used rarely.

*The combining form of the verb «κτείνω» 'kteinō, «-κτονία» -ktŏ'niă is used to form feminine compound nouns that describe the killing of persons or living beings in general, indicated by the first component of the word, e.g. «γενοκτονία» [ʝenokto'nia] (genocide), «αδελφοκτονία» [aðelfokto'nia] (fratricide), «πατροκτονία» [patrokto'nia] (patricide), «μητροκτονία» [mitrokto'nia] (matricide), «μυοκτονία» [mi.okto'nia] (raticide), «τυραννοκτονία» [tiranokto'nia] (tyrannicide), «μικροβιοκτονία» [mikrovi.okto'nia] (microbicide) etc.


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## Saluton

In common Russian usage, we only have *убить* (ubit' = to kill) and *умертвить* (a very rare, obsolete, bookish word for 'to kill'), plus some verbs referring to specific ways of killing: *застрелить* (zastrelit') - to kill with a gunshot, *зарезать* (zarezat') - to kill by stabbing etc. There are many other synonyms, though: *прикончить, угробить, прибить, кокнуть, убрать* etc. but they are all slangish and you aren't going to hear them used outside informal contexts.


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## Rallino

> In *Turkish* we have:
> 
> "*öldürmek*" _(kill)_
> "*katletmek*" _(slay)_
> 
> For _murder _and _assassinate_ we use phrases:
> *cinayet işlemek* _(to commit a murder)_
> *suikast yapmak / suikastta bulunmak *_(lit. to make an assassination)_


I'd also like to add: _telef etmek_, which is used for killing groups of animals, especially birds and poultry.



Ilmen said:


> I've never encountered this one, you taught me something.  The WR dictionnary marks it as an archaic word, while my (main) physical dictionnary say it's either literary or for joking, and that it is now only used in the infinitive or the past participle form "occis(e)".
> My dictionnary defines it as "faire mourir, tuer", and says that it comes from the Latin "occidere".


That's where the _occident_ comes from: _C'est l__à où « meurt » le soleil_.


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