definitions

butcherly

[ boo ch-er-lee ]
/ ˈbʊtʃ ər li /
|

adjective

like, or characteristic of, a butcher.

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Nearby words

butcher shop, butcher's, butcher's saw, butcher's-broom, butcherbird, butcherly, butchery, butchy, bute, butenandt, butene

Origin of butcherly

First recorded in 1505–15; butcher + -ly
Related formsbutch·er·li·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for butcherly

  • We'll give them the slip yet, and hang that butcherly thief-taker upon his own gibbet.

    Jack Sheppard, Vol. III (of III)|W. Harrison Ainsworth

  • Butcherly blockheads in these high places, and himself lying sick and powerless, unable to lift a hand for the cause he loved.

    It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade

  • Will they remove the only motive which could bring me to the butcherly spectacle of their combat?

    The Fair Maid of Perth|Sir Walter Scott