murderer
[mur-der-er]
- a person who commits murder.
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- murderers' row,
- the row of cells in a prison where murderers and other violent or hard-core criminals are held.See also death row.
- Baseball.a succession of heavy hitters scheduled to bat one after the other.
- any group of notorious or important people: a murderers' row of talent; a murderers' row of philosophers.
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Origin of murderer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for murderer
Contemporary Examples
Murderer, lunatic, and defamer of Islam will certainly be listed in his obituaries.
“Murderer,” after failing to prevent the massacres of Lebanese civilians at the Sabra and Shatila camps in 1982.
Historical Examples
For beneath the suave smile of the Duellist they read the intent of the Murderer.
One evening the student arrived back at Stephen the Murderer's.
When they arrived, the pope cried out, "Stephen the Murderer, where are you?"
My hair stands on end, and a terrible voice cries to me, 'Murderer!
The Knight of MaltaEugene Sue
She made no answer to him, nor did she speak at all except one word, and that word "Murderer."
SwallowH. Rider Haggard
Word Origin and History for murderer
n.
mid-14c., alteration of murtherer (c.1300), agent noun from murder (v.); in part from Old French mordrere, from Medieval Latin murdrarius, from Germanic. Old English words for this included morðorcwalu, morðorslaga, morðorwyrhta, literally "murder-wright." The original murderer's row was in New York City's Tombs prison; figurative use in baseball dates to 1858, though the quintessential one was the 1927 New York Yankees. Fem. form murderess attested from late 14c. Murderee (1920) never caught on.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper