infanticide

noun

in·​fan·​ti·​cide in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd 

1

: the killing of an infant

2

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

infanticidal

in-ˌfan-tə-ˈsī-dᵊl 

adjective

Examples of infanticide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Roughly two dozen countries have statutes that classify maternal infanticide as less culpable than ordinary murder; the United States recognizes no such distinction, forcing cases like Clancy’s into the contentious framework of the insanity defense. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Midwife Mae Bastet, serving a sentence for infanticide, has spent seven years away from her children in Buzzard, the private prison run by paramilitary corporation Obsityan. — Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026

This case has awakened debates about infanticide laws, which provide legal defenses only to mothers who kill their infant. — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Postpartum psychosis is associated with an elevated risk of infanticide; some reviews have estimated that as many as 4% of affected mothers may kill their infant. — Ayana Lage, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin infanticidium, from Latin infant-, infans + -i- + -cidium -cide

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for infanticide

• acetamide
• acetonide
• acidified
• antimonide
• beatified
• benzaldehyde
• borohydride
• chalcogenide
• commodified
• decalcified
• declassified
• disaccharide

Medical Definition

infanticide

noun

in·​fan·​ti·​cide in-ˈfant-ə-ˌsīd 

1

: the killing of an infant

2

: one who kills an infant

infanticidal

-ˌfant-ə-ˈsīd-ᵊl 

adjective

Legal Definition

infanticide

noun

in·​fan·​ti·​cide in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd 

: the killing of a newly or recently born child