What does murtherer mean?
Murtherer is an archaic English noun meaning someone who commits murder. It is an old spelling of the modern word murderer, preserving the older form murther, which was historically used for murder itself. The word appears chiefly in literature, historical writing, and older legal language, so modern speakers will usually recognize it immediately even though they would not normally use it in contemporary prose. Its form can sound especially dramatic or old-fashioned, which makes it useful in historical fiction and period writing. Although the pronunciation and meaning correspond closely to those of murderer, the older spelling helps signal the antiquity of the surrounding text. In ordinary modern usage, murderer is the standard choice.
nounA murtherer is someone who murders; an archaic spelling of murderer.
- One who murders; a murderer.
"The murtherer was arrested several days after the crime."
"The witness identified the murtherer from a line-up."
"In the early chapters of the novel, the mysterious murtherer remains unidentified."
The regular plural is murtherers, though the word itself is archaic and rarely used today.
"The novel portrays two murtherers who are pursued by the same detective."
Murtherer preserves an older English spelling of murderer, making it a small but vivid piece of legal and literary history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of murtherer
The root of murtherer is Middle English murther, an archaic form of murder. Murder derives from Old English morþor, meaning a killing or murder, and is related to Germanic forms such as Old Norse morðr. The ending -er forms a noun denoting an agent, so murtherer means literally one who murders.
How murtherer is actually used
Murtherer is archaic and chiefly occurs in older literary, legal, or historical texts. Modern English normally uses murderer.
Easily confused with murtherer
A murtherer is simply an archaic spelling of murderer, with the same meaning.
A mother is a female parent, whereas a murtherer is an archaic word for someone who murders.