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Killing and Killers

Anyone who has looked at the news lately knows that the human species seems to have an inordinate propensity for killing things. Similarly, anyone looking at this list of 85 terms relating to killing will quickly realize that humans also have an inordinate propensity for making up words about killing things. All of these words end in 'cide', from Latin caedere, to kill. However, some of them refer exclusively to the act of killing a specific thing (e.g. herbicide) while others can refer alternately to the act itself or to the person performing the act (e.g. homicide). Of all of these, though, perhaps the greatest crime of all is verbicide, the brutal slaughter of our language by incompetents and ignoramuses. Will the atrocities never end? Also check out my list of fighting words - those ending in "machy".


Word Definition
aborticide killing of a fetus; abortion
acaricide killer of mites and ticks
algicide killer of algae
amicicide murder of a friend
aphicide killer of aphids
aphidicide killer of aphids
avicide killing of birds
bacillicide killer of bacteria
bactericide killer of bacteria
biocide killing living material
bovicide slaughter of cattle; one who kills cattle
ceticide killing of whales and other cetaceans
cimicide substance used to kill bed-bugs
deicide destruction or killing of a god
ecocide destruction of the environment
episcopicide killing of bishops
famicide one who destroys another's reputation; slanderer
felicide killing of a cat
femicide killing of a woman
feticide killing of a fetus
filicide killing of one's own child
floricide killing or killer of flowers
foeticide killing a fetus
formicide substance that kills ants
fratricide killing of one's brother
fungicide killing of fungus
genocide killing of a race or ethnic group
germicide substance that kills germs
giganticide killing of a giant
gynaecide killing of women
herbicide killing of plants
hereticide killing of heretics
homicide killing of a human being
infanticide killing of an infant
insecticide killing of insects
larvicide killing of larvae
liberticide destruction of liberty
lupicide killing of a wolf
mariticide killing or killer of one's husband
matricide killing of one's mother
menticide reduction of mind by psychological pressure
microbicide killing or killer of microbes
miticide agent which kills mites
molluscicide killing of mollusks
muscicide substance for killing flies
neonaticide killing or killer of a newborn infant
ovicide killing insect eggs
ovicide sheep-killing
parasiticide killing of parasites
parasuicide harmful act appearing to be an attempt at suicide
parenticide killing or killer of one's parents
parricide killing of parents or a parent-like close relative
patricide killing of one's father
perdricide killer of partridges
pesticide killing of pests
prolicide killing of offspring; killing of the human race
pulicide flea-killer
raticide substance or person who kills rats
regicide killing of a monarch
rodenticide killing of rodents
senicide killing of old men
serpenticide killing or killer of a snake
siblicide killing or killer of a sibling
silvicide substance that kills trees
sororicide killing of one's own sister
speciocide destruction of an entire species
spermicide killing of sperm
sporicide killing of spores
suicide killing of oneself
taeniacide killing of tapeworms
tauricide killing or killer of a bull
trypanocide killing of trypanosomes
tyrannicide killing or killer of a tyrant
urbicide destruction of a city
ursicide killing or killer of a bear
utricide one who stabs an inflated skin vessel instead of killing someone
uxoricide killing of one's own wife
vaticide killing or killer of a prophet
verbicide destroying the meaning of a word
vermicide killing of worms
vespacide substance or person who kills wasps
viricide killing of viruses; killing of men or of husbands
virucide killing of viruses
vulpicide killing of a fox
weedicide something that kills weeds


I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions, or comments, please contact me. Please note that I am not able to respond to all requests. Please consult a major dictionary before e-mailing your query. All material on this page © 1996-2021 Stephen Chrisomalis. Links to this page may be made without permission.

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