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parenticide

parenticide

9.9
A person who kills their own mother or father
  • noun
  • /ˌpɛrəˈnɪsɪd/
  • Offensive
: parricida
  • In ancient times, a parenticide was often punished with the utmost severity.

Examples

  • The police arrested the suspected parenticide after a lengthy investigation.

  • The novel explores the motives behind the actions of a young parenticide.

  • He was charged with parenticide after the tragic event.

  • The case of the parenticide shocked the community.

  • In a horrifying crime, the detective uncovered a case of parenticide where a son had killed his mother.

  • The book detailed various criminal cases, including one that involved parenticide committed by a troubled teenager.

  • Many legal systems struggle with how to handle cases of parenticide, as the motivations can be complex and tragic.

Synonyms

murderer
vsparenticide
  • NSFW
711 3.4

A person who illegally kills another person on purpose

is a narrower term for someone who kills their own parent, not any victim
parricide
vsparenticide
  • NSFW
1 9.9

An act of killing your own mother or father

is the term for the person who kills their parent rather than the act

Surface Forms

parenticide singular
parenticides plural

Morphology

parenticide = parent (semi-transparent) = parent + cide

The word is clearly built from 'parent' + '-cide', but the sense 'a person who kills their own parent' is a specialized agentive use rather than the most basic killing-meaning.

Etymology

Parenticide comes from parent- meaning 'parent' and the ending -cide meaning 'kill', the same -cide you see in suicide and homicide. So a parenticide is 'a person who kills their parent', which is why the word names that kind of person.