Bloodbath

Alternative forms

• blood bath

Origin

Coined in 1867. Compound of blood and bath, the latter used to refer in the metaphorical sense to a deluge of a thing.

Full definition of bloodbath

Noun

1. Indiscriminate killing or slaughter, a massacre.
• 1814, w, Illustrations of northern antiquities, from the earlier Tentonie and Scandinavian romances: being an abstract of the Book of heroes, and Nibelungen lay; with translation of metrical tales, from the Old German, Danish, Swedish, and Icelandie languages; with notes and dissertations Chapter Stark Tiderich and Olger Danske, There lay the steed; here lay the man; Gude friends that day did twin: They leuch na a' to the feast that cam Whan the het bluid-bath was done.
• 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/In movie terms, it suggests Paul Verhoeven in Robocop/Starship Troopers mode, an R-rated bloodbath where the grim spectacle of children murdering each other on television is bread-and-circuses for the age of reality TV, enforced by a totalitarian regime to keep the masses at bay.
2. (sports) An aggressive or very violent contest or confrontation.
• 1951, Tim Cohane, The Yale Football Story Chapter Be Each, Pray God, a Gentlemen!, Although the Hampden Park blood bath of '94 caused Yale and Harvard to break off football relations for the next two years, they kept close watch on each other.
3. (figuratively) An upset (as of a game with unexpected results) or heavy defeat.
4. (figuratively, business) A large financial loss or massive layoff brought about by negative economic conditions.
• 1989, , Jet Magazine Chapter Richard Daley Wins Chicago Mayoral Race; Blacks Fail to Unite Behind Tim Evans , In an interview after the victory, Daley sought to assure Blacks that there would be no personnel bloodbath at City Hall.
5. A bath taken in warm blood used as a restorative or medical treatment.
• 1834, , The London Medical Gazette; Being a Weekly Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences Chapter On Blood-Baths: An Historical Notice., On Blood-Baths: An Historical Notice. By Dr. Hecker. According to a dark tradition which is incidentally mentioned by Pliny, the ancient kings of Egypt used to bathe in human blood when they were seized with leprosy.