patricide
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpætrɪˌsaɪd/
- NSFW
- Overthrowing a king, a justifiable act from our present perspective, is made unthinkable by equating it with the taboo of patricide.
Examples
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Although actual patricide remains in the realm of fantasy, both protagonists eventually subvert their father's authority.
Academic text (2007) -
Tony wanted his father, but there was a part of him that dreamed of patricide.
Fiction book (1990) -
So l went to Paris and wrote my novel about a patricide.
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The Israeli historian Moshe Zuckermann once described the most essential characteristic of the German 68ers as their having committed patricide, arguing that since nobody can live with such a burden forever, sooner or later they would have to come to terms with their nation's past.
Academic text (2001) -
If there is Biercean irony in this story, it is in the final remark of the shocked sergeant as he walks away from the patricide, "Good God!" (85).
Fiction book (1998) -
The plot of the novel revolves around a character who commits patricide in a fit of rage.
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In many cultures, patricide is considered one of the gravest sins a person can commit.
-
The tragic story illustrates the deep psychological issues leading to an act of patricide.
Synonyms
1
9.9
An act of killing your own mother or father
Surface Forms
Morphology
patricide = patri + cide
The meaning is fairly clear from the classical combining form for 'father' plus '-cide' meaning killing, but the components are bound forms rather than ordinary standalone English words.
Etymology
Patricide comes from the Latin word pater 'father' and the ending -cide 'to kill', the same ending you see in suicide and homicide. So a patricide is a person who kills their father.