noun, na-adjective
Archaic word for extreme cruelty or atrocity; now almost entirely replaced by 残酷 (ざんこく). Found only in older texts.
See also: 残酷 (ざんこく)
古文書には戦の惨酷さが記されている。
The ancient documents record the brutality of the war.
The modern standard word for cruelty or brutality. 惨酷 is its archaic predecessor, sharing the same meaning but no longer in common use.
The kanji 惨 (wretched, disastrous) and 酷 (cruel, severe) combine to express extreme cruelty. The reading さんこく is the on'yomi of both characters. The word is now obsolete, having been replaced by 残酷 (ざんこく), which uses a different first character but carries the same meaning.