fratricide
9.9
A person who kills a brother or sister
- noun
- /ˈfrætrɪˌsaɪd/
- NSFW
:
fratricida
- A fratricide occurs when one sibling murders another, as seen in many tragic stories.
Examples
-
"It might, however, more accurately be termed fratricide—brothers killing brothers—squabbling sons of the same God in a serial rerun of Cain and Abel.
Academic text (2000) -
The crime of fratricide shocked the small community, leaving many to wonder how it could happen.
-
After the fratricide, the family's dynamics were forever changed as they dealt with the aftermath.
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
fratricide singular
fratricides plural
Morphology
fratricide = fratri + cide
This is a learned classical formation from fratri- 'brother' plus -cide 'killing', but the elements are not transparent to an average learner.
Etymology
Fratricide comes from Latin frater 'brother' and -cide 'kill', so a fratricide is literally a 'brother-killer' and means a person who kills their own brother or sister.