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 © 1996-2014 Stephen Chrisomalis. Links to this page may be made without permission. Top of page

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