manslaughter

Definition of Manslaughter

(noun) Homicide without premeditated malice.

Manslaughter Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: man·slaugh·ter

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈmænˌslɑdər/
• British English – /ˈmanˌslɔːtə/

Usage Notes

• Plural: manslaughters
• Manslaughter is either voluntary or involuntary and is not the same as murder, which is premeditated.
• The United States legally differentiates between four primary types of homicide. First-degree murder, Second-degree murder, Voluntary Manslaughter (also called Third-degree murder), and Involuntary Manslaughter.

Related Video

Additional Information

• Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “manslaughter” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• corrections system
• crime
• criminal justice system
• criminology
• law
• illegal
• penology
• police
• sanction

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Works Consulted

Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont: CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/)

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Manslaughter

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “manslaughter.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved December 14, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/manslaughter/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

manslaughter. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/manslaughter/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “manslaughter.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed December 14, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/manslaughter/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“manslaughter.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/manslaughter/>.