regicide

noun

reg·​i·​cide ˈre-jə-ˌsīd How to pronounce regicide (audio)
1
: a person who kills a king
2
: the killing of a king
regicidal adjective

Examples of regicide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those Tories by the way have a particular penchant for political regicide before voters get the chance. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023 The convulsions of 17th-century England are familiar: a civil war, a regicide and, eventually, a restoration of the monarchy. Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2022 Stephen Root, in a single scene as Porter, lifts the grim, forensic business of regicide and its aftermath into the realm of knockabout farce. New York Times, 22 Dec. 2021 Be Prepared,’’ steeped in shadows and complete with goose-stepping hyenas pledging their fealty to the dastardly Scar, intent on both regicide and fratricide. BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019 Sure, there was a Hamlet-esque regicide plotline among some lions. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 July 2019 But regulatory moves can often take months or years to come into full effect, so a short-term prediction need not account for every possibility. King Coal’s regicide? Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, 11 July 2018 After Cromwell’s act of regicide, his agents put Charles’s collection up for sale, the price scale providing a fascinating indicator of contemporary taste. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2018 So many times during the character's history, the Panther has been called to disasters around the globe, but now the issue is at home in a kingdom where the people are angry, stirred by a malevolent presence, and threatening regicide. Will Nevin, OregonLive.com, 16 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regicide.' 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 reg-, rex king + English -cide — more at royal

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of regicide was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near regicide

Cite this Entry

“Regicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regicide. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

regicide

noun
reg·​i·​cide ˈrej-ə-ˌsīd How to pronounce regicide (audio)
1
: a person who kills or helps to kill a king
2
: the killing of a king
regicidal
ˌrej-ə-ˈsīd-əl
adjective

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