I. ˈmər-dər noun
Etymology: 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
Date: before 12th century
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
II. verb
( mur·dered ; mur·der·ing ˈmər-d(ə-)riŋ)
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
1. : to kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice
2. : to slaughter wantonly : slay
3.
a. : to put an end to
b. : tease , torment
c. : mutilate , mangle
murder s French
d. : to defeat badly
intransitive verb
: to commit murder
Synonyms: see kill