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Glite Dictionary
regicidal

regicidal

1 9.9
About killing a king or queen
  • adjective
  • /ˌrɛdʒɪˈsaɪdəl/
  • Formal
: regicida
  • The novel is set in a regicidal era, where conspiracies against the throne abound.

Examples

  • The regicidal plot aimed to remove the tyrant from power and restore justice.

  • Throughout history, many regicidal movements have sought to overthrow unjust monarchs.

  • As Captain Vere points out at the trial, "the enemy" (France) also has "naval conscripts, some of whom may even share our own abhorrence of the regicidal French Directory."

    Academic text (1993)

Surface Forms

regicidal positive

Morphology

regicidal = regicide (semi-transparent) = regi + cide + al

The adjective is formed regularly from the learned noun 'regicide' plus '-al', but the base itself is a specialized classical term rather than a highly familiar everyday word.

Etymology

Regicidal comes from two parts: regi- meaning 'king', seen in regal, and -cide meaning 'to kill', seen in suicide and homicide. So a regicidal act is one that is about killing a king.