femicide

noun

fem·​i·​cide ˈfe-mə-ˌsīd 

plural femicides

: the gender-based murder of a woman or girl by a man

There have been calls for a "national shutdown" to protest femicide in South Africa.

—Africa Check

… speaks to a generation of young people fed up with femicides, sexual assault, and the ever more pervasive violence in Mexico.

—Cody Copeland

Examples of femicide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed in a salon in Jalisco in May, sparking outrage over high rates of femicide in the region. —Veronica Calderon, CNN Money, 24 June 2025

However, one rare victory amidst the battering of women’s rights has been the retention of femicide as a specific category in the Penal Code. —Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

But following enormous protests, officials have stopped threatening to eliminate femicide as a specific crime. —Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

While not all homicides involving women are femicides, many are. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

femi- (in Latin fēmina "woman") + -cide (after homicide) — more at feminine entry 1

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for femicide

• actinide
• aldehyde
• alkoxide
• alongside
• amplified
• arsenide
• beautified
• biocide
• butoxide
• calcified
• ceramide
• certified