infanticide

in·fan·ti·cide | \ in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd

How to pronounce infanticide (audio)

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Definition of infanticide

1 : the killing of an infant

2 [Late Latin infanticida, from Latin infant-, infans + -i- + -cida -cide] : one who kills an infant

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Examples of infanticide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web When Northam, who is a pediatric neurologist, defended Tran by clumsily describing medical procedures, Republicans, including President Trump, accused him of favoring infanticide. — Emily Guskin, Washington Post, "Democrats promise a new Virginia if they win control of legislature. And that’s exactly what worries Republicans.," 10 Oct. 2019 Support for infanticide is becoming respectable in the United States as well. — Wesley J. Smith, National Review, "Dark Anniversary: The State of Assisted Suicide 25 Years after Measure 16," 19 Nov. 2019 The baby was reportedly found in a pot by parents who were burying their own daughter A newborn baby who had been buried alive was rescued from a cemetery in India in a case that police reportedly suspect is female infanticide. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "Baby Girl Rescued After She's Found Buried Alive and Crying in Cemetery in India: Reports," 15 Oct. 2019 The Massachusetts Republican Party has targeted supporters of the bill with over-the-top rhetoric, accusing them of supporting infanticide. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "On Beacon Hill, high-voltage testimony about abortion," 17 June 2019 Four of them died during the winter (before weaning), whereas only six of the 40 infants who were allonursed died (and this includes two cases of male infanticide that occurred when a new male took over a group). — National Geographic, "Why do these monkeys nurse each other’s babies?," 22 Feb. 2019 Even when births are successful, there are often instances not only of infant mortality but also of calf rejection and infanticide, something almost never witnessed in thousands of studies of wild elephant herds. — New York Times, "Zoos Called It a ‘Rescue.’ But Are the Elephants Really Better Off?," 9 July 2019 Who doesn't love a little didactic infanticide with their hot dog binge? — Aj Willingham, CNN, "The best scarfing methods at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest," 4 July 2019 Research suggests that within the illness, the suicide rate is five percent, and the rate of infanticide is four percent, according to Postpartum Support International. — Kellie Hwang, Indianapolis Star, "'You are not alone': How to identify and get help for postpartum depression," 20 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infanticide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near infanticide

infantile paralysis

Statistics for infanticide

Last Updated

16 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Infanticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infanticide. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for infanticide

infanticide

noun

English Language Learners Definition of infanticide

: the act of killing a baby

See the full definition for infanticide in the English Language Learners Dictionary

infanticide

in·fan·ti·cide | \ in-ˈfant-ə-ˌsīd

\

Medical Definition of infanticide

1 : the killing of an infant

2 : one who kills an infant

infanticide

in·fan·ti·cide | \ in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd

\

Legal Definition of infanticide

: the killing of a newly or recently born child

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