bloodlust means A desire for bloodshed and carnage, often aroused in the heat of battle and leading to uncontrolled slaughter and torture. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
bloodlust is pronounced /ˈblʌdˌlʌst/.
Why “bloodlust” is a great word
BLOODLUST — [Noun] A savage, intoxicating craving for bloodshed and carnage, often awakened in the heat of battle and culminating in indiscriminate slaughter. From the English words 'blood' (the red fluid in veins and arteries) and 'lust' (an intense or unrestrained desire). First recorded in 1845–50. Unlike "ferocity," which implies a violent intensity of action, or "cruelty," which denotes a colder, psychological relish for suffering, bloodlust is a raw, visceral hunger that must be fed. It is the glazed eye that sees not a person but a vessel to be emptied, the battle-cry that becomes a mindless chant, and the moment the sword’s purpose shifts from winning to simply cleaving—the dark triumph of the body’s mechanics over the soul’s last plea for mercy.
Etymology
From blood + lust.
noun
- A desire for bloodshed and carnage, often aroused in the heat of battle and leading to uncontrolled slaughter and torture.“Yet the blood lust was on me now. I found myself on my feet emptying one magazine, then the other, clicking open the breech to re-load, snapping it to again, while cheering and yelling with pure ferocity and joy of slaughter as I did so.”