infanticide

noun

in·fan·ti·cide | \in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd

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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Our recent camera trap data shows a lot of juveniles and newborns are being protected by the dominant male, under his legs—that’s strange because sometimes dominant males commit infanticide. — National Geographic, "World’s Biggest Pig Captured in Rare Video," 22 June 2018 Synchronous birth protects young females by reducing the infanticide that would otherwise be used by the old guard to keep the younger animals from successfully producing offspring. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "Why Mongooses All Give Birth on the Same Day," 2 June 2018 More generally, the Methodist website advocates generosity and charity toward immigrants, making numerous references to scripture and noting that Christ started life as a refugee, with his family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod’s infanticide. — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Sessions at odds with his church on immigrants," 14 June 2018 When untreated, depression can also lead to tragic outcomes, including suicide or infanticide. — Nancy Byatt, Philly.com, "Depression affects one in 7 pregnant women. Why isn't there more help for them?," 8 June 2018 Among land mammals, infanticide occurs among primates and rodents, the report noted. — Author: Amy B Wang, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Fascinated and horrified’ scientists watched as a killer whale drowned another’s newborn calf," 3 Apr. 2018 This is a pitch-black book, with infanticide, suicide, rape and any number of other dark subjects playing a prominent part. — Will Nevin, OregonLive.com, "TBT #36.2: Secrets of Atlantis, mysteries of space and parade of horrors coming up in AfterShock Comics," 2 May 2018 Terrestrial species like primates and rodents have been known to commit infanticide, and the behavior has been infrequently observed among dolphins. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Male Orca and Its Mother Worked Together to Kill a Newborn Calf," 27 Mar. 2018 The discovery indicates killer whales also engage in infanticide, a behavior found in primates, rodents and in some cases dolphins, the report stated. — Fox News, "Scientists observe male orca kill calf in first-of-its-kind discovery," 5 Apr. 2018

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.