filicide
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈfɪlɪˌsaɪd/
- Offensive
- In recent years, instances of filicide have prompted discussions about mental health and parental support.
- crime of filicide
- type of filicide
Examples
-
This tragic case of filicide highlighted the complexities of family dynamics and the need for intervention.
-
The horrifying news out of Clearwater that a mother drowned her children upon learning her husband wanted a divorce is the most recent example of filicide in the Tampa Bay Area.
Blog text (23) -
In accepting the thought of killing his son, Abraham anticipates the actual moment when it will happen, but this willingness to commit mental filicide is exactly what prompts God to spare Isaac's life.
Academic text (2017) -
The horrifying news out of Clearwater that a mother committed filicide upon learning her husband wanted a divorce shocked the community.
Surface Forms
Morphology
filicide = fili + cide
The word is historically built from the Latin combining form fili- and the suffix -cide, but the first element is not a transparent English word for most learners, so the meaning is not readily recoverable from the parts.
Etymology
Filicide comes from Latin parts fili- meaning 'child' and -cide meaning 'killing', the same ending you see in suicide and homicide. So filicide is the act of killing one's own child.