killer

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a difficulty that is hard to deal with

   that exam was a real killer

2. 2
   noun

   the causal agent resulting in death

   heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States

3. 3
   noun

   One who or that which kills.

   There’s a killer on the loose.

4. 4
   noun

   That which causes stress or is extremely difficult, especially that which may cause failure at a task.

   That test was a killer.

5. 5
   noun

   Something that is so far ahead of its competition that it effectively kills off that competition.

   Digital streaming platforms are CD killers.

6. 6
   noun

   A remarkably impressive person or thing.

   Picture perfect, you don't need no filter / Gorgeous, make 'em drop dead, you're a killer

7. 7
   noun

   Ellipsis of killer whale.

   There is, however, one species of whale that habitually preys upon other warm-blooded animals—the killer whale. Really a large dolphin, the killer was classified by Linnaeus as Orcinus orca, and by Cope as Grampus rectipinna.

8. 8
   noun

   Synonym of virama (“kind of diacritical mark”).

   In the course of its adaptation to non-Indo-Aryan languages, the Burmese script has acquired some features that distinguish it from other Indic scripts. The killer, or virama, participates in some common constructions that would be clumsy to handle the way they would be in the other Indic scripts, so the control function of the virama is separated from the diacritic function of the killer. The virama, 0F4D is used to form conjunct consonants, while the killer, 0F52, is a simple diacritic and has no effect on character shaping. The killer is also combined with the VOWEL SIGN O (0F4B) to form the low level tone vowel “o.” When used this way, this symbol is known as hyei hto, or “thrust forward.”

Etymology

From Middle English killer, kyller. By surface analysis, kill + -er.