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.
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