bloodbath

Meaning

Noun

• Indiscriminate killing or slaughter, a massacre.
• An aggressive or very violent contest or confrontation.
• An upset (as of a game with unexpected results, or a national presidential convention) or heavy defeat.
• A large financial loss or massive layoff brought about by negative economic conditions.
• A bath taken in warm blood used as a restorative or medical treatment.

Origin

• Coined in 1867. Compound of blood + bath, the latter used referring to a metaphorical deluge. Compare West Frisian bloedbad, Dutch bloedbad, German Blutbad, Danish blodbad, Norwegian Bokmål blodbad, Swedish blodbad, Icelandic blóðbad.