autocide

plural autocides

1. uncountableagricultureControl of a pest through propagation of sterile males.

   Generally, autocide is most effective when applied to restricted populations (islands, etc.), but can be effective on parts of continents.

   1975, Dennis S. Hill, Agricultural Insect Pests of the Tropics and Their Control, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 22

2. countableuncountablebacteriologyA substance produced by a bacterium that is fatal to that bacterium.

   Five different autocides have been isolated from Myxococcus xanthus.

   2001, “Myxococcales”, in David R. Boone et al., editors, Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, →ISBN, page 1065

plural autocides

1. countableuncountableAn act of suicide committed by crashing an automobile.

   "Autocide is becoming the second most popular method for older teens to commit suicide," she said.

   1993 December 13, “Northbridge Educators Alerted to Depression Among Students”, in Worcester Telegram Gazette

2. countableuncountableAn act of killing someone with an automobile.

plural autocides

1. rareOne who commits suicide.

   For as Saint Auguſtine reaſons well againſt ſuch Autocides and ſelfe murtherers, it is rather a token of puſillanimity and lacke of courage in them, than otherwayes a marke of true reſolution to doe ſo; […]

   1635, David Person, “[A Treatise of Death, and of Diverse Orders and Ceremonies of Burials.] Section 1. The Remembrance of Death Requisite in All Men: […]”, in Varieties: or, A Surveigh of Rare and Excellent Matters, Necessary and Delectable for All Sorts of Persons. […], London: […] Richard Badger, for Thomas Alchorn [and Thomas Cotes], […], →OCLC, page 155

   1 more example

   The irony of Johnson's title is that only two years later this most professional of artists - poet, novelist, short-story writer, filmmaker, dramatist, and sports journalist - killed himself at the age of forty-two. The autobiographer as autocide.

   1990 June, Richard Martin, “Aren't You Rather Young to be Writing Your Memoirs? or, B[ryan] S[tanley] Johnson on Raymond Federman”, in Alfred Hornung, Ernstpeter Ruhe, editors, Autobiographie & Avant-garde (overall work in English and French), Tübingen, B.W.: Gunter Narr Verlag, published 1992, →ISBN, page 357

   Synonyms: an hero, self-killer, self-murderer, self-slayer, suicide, suicidee, suicider, suicidist