An executioner or slaughterer; a person who kills or butchers, especially for execution.
From Latin 'carnifex,' composed of 'caro' (flesh) and 'facere' (to make or do), literally 'flesh-maker.' This term was used in Roman contexts to describe executioners and has been revived in historical or literary contexts.
Carnifex is a brutal word that the Romans literally created to describe brutal work—it's a perfect example of how Latin, being so logical, could compound words to create exactly the term needed, and how historical contexts reveal social practices in vocabulary.
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