Killer

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Killer \Kill"er\, n.
     1. One who deprives of life; one who, or that which, kills.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) A voracious, toothed whale of the genus {Orca}, of
        which several species are known; called also {killer


        whale}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The killers have a high dorsal fin, and powerful jaws
           armed with large, sharp teeth. They capture, and
           swallow entire, large numbers of seals, porpoises, and
           dolphins, and are celebrated for their savage, combined
           attacks upon the right whales, which they are said to
           mutilate and kill. The common Atlantic species ({Orca
           gladiator}), is found both on the European and the
           American coast. Two species ({Orca ater} and {Orca
           rectipinna}) occur on the Pacific coast.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  killer
       n 1: someone who causes the death of a person or animal [syn: {slayer}]
       2: the causal agent resulting in death; "heart disease is the
          biggest killer in the United States" [syn: {cause of death}]
       3: a difficulty that is hard to deal with; "that exam was a
          real killer"
       4: predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal
          fin; common in cold seas [syn: {killer whale}, {orca}, {grampus},
           {sea wolf}, {Orcinus orca}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  103 Moby Thesaurus words for "killer":
     Bluebeard, Cain, Mafioso, Young Turk, apache, assassin,
     assassinator, beast, beldam, berserk, berserker, bloodletter,
     bloodshedder, bomber, bravo, brute, bucko, bully, bullyboy, burker,
     butcher, button man, cannibal, cutthroat, daisy, demon, desperado,
     devil, dilly, dragon, eradicator, executioner, exterminator, fiend,
     fire-eater, firebrand, fury, garroter, goon, gorilla, gun, gunman,
     gunsel, hardnose, hatchet man, head-hunter, hell-raiser, hellcat,
     hellhound, hellion, hit man, holy terror, homicidal maniac,
     homicide, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, hothead, hotspur, humdinger,
     incendiary, lulu, mad dog, madcap, man-eater, man-killer,
     manslayer, massacrer, matador, monster, mugger, murderer,
     pesticide, poison, poisoner, rapist, revolutionary, rough, rowdy,
     ruffian, savage, she-wolf, slaughterer, slayer, spitfire,
     strangler, termagant, terror, terrorist, thug, tiger, tigress,
     torpedo, tough, tough guy, trigger man, ugly customer, violent,
     virago, vixen, wild beast, witch, wolf