filicide

noun

fil·​i·​cide ˈfi-lə-ˌsīd How to pronounce filicide (audio)
: the murder of one's own daughter or son

Examples of filicide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Each was a tragedy, but maternal filicide falls low on the register of reasons for infant death. Maria Laurino, The New Republic, 29 June 2023 In Massachusetts, a horrific case of filicide has reawakened difficult talks about postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, which are known to be under-diagnosed and under-treated in women who recently gave birth. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2023 Podcasters, reporters and TV producers rushed to South Carolina to tell a Shakespearean story of filicide, anchored by a main character whose button-down shirts seem to cover a terrifying moral void. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2023 Supplementary Homicide Reports in 2014 to determine that filicide – a parent’s act of killing his or her child or children – occurs on average 500 times per year in the United States. Fox News, 21 Oct. 2022 Crimes of the Future Rated R for filicide, surgeries and power-drill violence. New York Times, 2 June 2022 But most filicides are considered altruistic killing. Bree Burkitt, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2020 Oberman, who wrote two books on the subject of filicide, said many of the women who commit those murders are often isolated in their motherhood and have mental health issues or previous trauma. Bree Burkitt, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2020 Oberman, who wrote two books on the subject of filicide, said many of the women who commit these murders are often isolated in their motherhood and mental health issues or previous trauma. Bree Burkitt, azcentral, 22 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'filicide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin filius son & filia daughter + English -cide

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of filicide was in 1665

Dictionary Entries Near filicide

Cite this Entry

“Filicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filicide. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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