During the war, there was widespread butchery of civilians in many villages.

butchery 是名词，来自动词 butcher（屠宰、屠杀）。butcher 本义指"屠夫"，引申为"残忍杀害"的意思。butchery 指"屠杀行为"，带有强烈的负面含义，暗示这种杀戮像屠宰牲畜一样残忍无情。