insecticide

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UK/ɪnˈsɛk.tɪˌsaɪd/US/ɪnˈsɛk.təˌsaɪd/

noun

Any of various substances used to kill insects.

Similar
insect powder
OriginFrench insecticide →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

nouninsecticide (countable and uncountable, plural insecticides)

plural insecticides

  1. countableuncountableAny of various substances used to kill insects.

    The dried seed powder of custard apple (Annona squamosa L; family: Annonaceae) has been used as an insecticide in India and many other tropical countries since ancient times.

    2009, Handbook of Pesticides: Methods of Pesticide Residues Analysis, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna chemical used to kill insects

Similar
insect powder
Broader
pesticide
Also see
insect powder

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchinsecticide
  2. Englishinsecticide

From French insecticide, as insect + -icide.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan insecticida
  • insecticidaA substance used to kill insects
Chinese Mandarin 殺蟲劑 /杀虫剂
  • 殺蟲劑 /杀虫剂 (shāchóngjì)A substance used to kill insects
Czech insekticid
  • insekticidA substance used to kill insects
Dutch insecticide
  • insecticideA substance used to kill insects
Finnish hyönteismyrkky
  • hyönteismyrkkyA substance used to kill insects
French insecticide
  • insecticideA substance used to kill insects
German Insektengift, Insektizid
  • InsektengiftA substance used to kill insects
  • InsektizidA substance used to kill insects
Greek εντομοκτόνο
  • εντομοκτόνο (entomoktóno)A substance used to kill insects
Hindi कीटनाशक
  • कीटनाशक (kīṭnāśak)A substance used to kill insects
Hungarian rovarirtó
  • rovarirtóA substance used to kill insects
Indonesian insektisida
  • insektisidaA substance used to kill insects
Irish feithidicíd, feithidnimh
  • feithidicídA substance used to kill insects
  • feithidnimhA substance used to kill insects
Italian insetticida
  • insetticidaA substance used to kill insects
Japanese 殺虫剤
  • 殺虫剤 (satchūzai)A substance used to kill insects
Korean 살충제
  • 살충제 (salchungje)A substance used to kill insects
Latin insecticida
  • insecticidaA substance used to kill insects
Malay insektisid
  • insektisidA substance used to kill insects
Norwegian Bokmål insektmiddel
  • insektmiddelA substance used to kill insects
Persian حشرهکش
  • حشرهکش (hašare-keš)A substance used to kill insects
Polish środek owadobójczy
  • środek owadobójczyA substance used to kill insects
Portuguese inseticida
  • inseticidaA substance used to kill insects
Romanian insecticid
  • insecticidA substance used to kill insects
Russian инсектици́д
  • инсектици́д (insekticíd)A substance used to kill insects
Spanish insecticida
  • insecticidaA substance used to kill insects
Swahili dawa ya wadudu, kiuadudu
  • dawa ya waduduA substance used to kill insects
  • kiuaduduA substance used to kill insects
Swedish insektsgift
  • insektsgiftA substance used to kill insects
Tagalog pamatay-kulisap
  • pamatay-kulisapA substance used to kill insects
Thai ยาฆ่าแมลง
  • ยาฆ่าแมลง (yaa-kâa-má-lɛɛng)A substance used to kill insects
Turkish insektisit
  • insektisitA substance used to kill insects

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

scienticide
Cite this entry
APA

insecticide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insecticide

MLA

“insecticide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insecticide. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “insecticide,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insecticide.

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