What does manslaughter mean?
Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of another person without an intention to kill or the degree of malice associated with murder. In legal usage, it can include killings caused by criminal negligence, dangerous conduct, or unlawful acts performed without murderous intent. The offence is treated as less culpable than murder, although it remains a serious criminal crime with potentially severe punishment. The word is also used more broadly in some legal and historical contexts to describe an unlawful or negligent killing. Distinctions among categories such as involuntary and voluntary manslaughter vary between legal systems, so the precise meaning of a charge depends on the jurisdiction. For general readers, the essential contrast is that manslaughter concerns an unlawful killing without deliberate murderous intent.
nounThe criminal offence of unlawfully killing someone without intending to kill them or displaying malice aforethought. It generally includes killings resulting from criminal negligence, unlawful acts, or other serious failures to exercise reasonable care.
- The criminal offence of unlawfully killing someone without intending to kill them or showing malice aforethought.
"The driver was charged with manslaughter after the vehicle collided with a pedestrian."
"The prosecutor described the circumstances as manslaughter rather than murder."
"The case resulted in a conviction for involuntary manslaughter."
Used when referring to multiple separate cases or instances of the offence.
"The report examined several high-profile manslaughters and the evidence presented at each trial."
Manslaughter is the law’s name for a killing that may be gravely culpable without being deliberate murder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does manslaughter come from?
The word formed in Middle English by combining “man” with a form of “slay,” originally expressing the killing of a person. Its elements are related to Old English “man,” meaning a human being, and Old English “slean,” meaning to kill, while “slaughter” comes through Old Norse and refers to killing an animal for food. The legal sense developed and became distinguished from the more culpable offence of murder.
How manslaughter is actually used
The term is primarily legal. In some legal systems, specific forms such as involuntary or voluntary manslaughter are distinguished according to the circumstances of the killing, and the exact classifications vary by jurisdiction.
Easily confused with manslaughter
Murder is a deliberate killing involving intent to kill or malice aforethought, whereas manslaughter is an unlawful killing without that degree of deliberate intent.