filicide

F4I1L1I1C3I1D2E1
UK/ˈfɪlɪsaɪd/

noun

The killing of one's own child.

OriginLatin fīlius →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounfilicide (countable and uncountable, plural filicides)

plural filicides

  1. countableuncountableThe killing of one's own child.

    it began by violating nature, and ends in filicide. (I, v)

    1820, Charles Maturin, Melmoth the Wanderer
    1 more example

    Terms related to familicide include filicide (the killing of one's child or children), uxoricide (the killing of one's wife), fratricide or sororicide (the killing of one's brother or sister), avunculicide (the killing of one's uncle), and nepoticide (the killing of one's nephew).

    2014, Albert Lee Strickland, “Familicide”, in Michael John Brennan, editor, The A–Z of Death and Dying: Social, Medical, and Cultural Aspects, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, pages 205–206
  2. countableuncountableA person who kills his or her own child.

    Ned is running, panicked, […] running for the cold hard road and the sanctuary of the Brunch farm like a filicide caught in the act.

    1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin Books, published 2006, page 287

Origin

  1. Latinfīlius“son”
  2. Englishfilicide

From Latin fīlius (“son”), fīlia (“daughter”) + -cide.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech synovrah, synovražedkyně
  • synovrahperson who kills his or her own child
  • synovražedkyněperson who kills his or her own child
  • dcerovrahperson who kills his or her own child
French filicide, filicide
  • filicidekilling of one's own child
  • filicideperson who kills his or her own child
Polish dzieciobójstwo, dzieciobójca
  • dzieciobójstwokilling of one's own child
  • dzieciobójcaperson who kills his or her own child
  • dzieciobójczyniperson who kills his or her own child
Portuguese filicídio, filicida
  • filicídiokilling of one's own child
  • filicidaperson who kills his or her own child
Spanish filicidio, filicida
  • filicidiokilling of one's own child
  • filicidaperson who kills his or her own child
Cite this entry
APA

filicide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/filicide

MLA

“filicide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/filicide. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “filicide,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/filicide.

Source: filicide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.