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Cide Words
Have you ever noticed the connection between words like suicide, homicide, genocide, pesticide and fungicide? They all end in –cide, of course, but their meanings are linked too. They all concern death, destruction, extermination and deliberate killing. The –cide ending originates from the Latin word caedere meaning to kill. Remember that next time you consider ordering a glass of cider!
The five examples above are not the only –cide words, however. (Although they are perhaps the most common.) On this page you'll find about 160 such words (almost 200 if you count variant spellings) culled from a variety of dictionaries.
The words below are divided into the following eight categories: Killing One's Relatives, Murdering Other People, Killing Animals, Killing Insects, Medicine (Killing Diseases), Killing Plants, Miscellaneous Killing, and Extreme Killing.
Killing One's Relations
Here are 13 words for killing members of one's family. Generally the word can be used both for the act of killing, and the killer: an uxoricide is one who commits uxoricide.
| | Killing oneself | suicide, selfcide |
| | Killing one's father | patricide |
| | Killing one's mother | matricide |
| | Killing one's parent(s) | parenticide |
| | Killing one's brother | fratricide |
| | Killing one's sister | sororicide |
| | Killing one's husband | mariticide, viricide |
| | Killing one's wife | uxoricide |
| | Killing one's son or daughter | filicide, prolicide |
| | Killing a close relative | parricide |
Killing Other People – Murder
| | Killing a man, or any person | homicide |
| | Killing a woman | femicide, gynecide, gynaecide |
| | Killing an infant | infanticide |
| | Killing a fetus | aborticide, feticide, foeticide |
| | Killing old men | senicide |
| | Killing a king | regicide |
| | Killing a lord or master | hericide |
| | Killing a philosopher | philosophicide |
| | Killing a prophet or poet | vaticide |
| | Killing a czar | czaricide |
| | Killing a bishop | episcopicide |
| | Killing an apprentice | prenticecide |
| | Killing a Brahmin | Brahminicide, Brahmanicide |
| | Killing a Spartacus member | Sparticide |
| | Killing a modernist | modernicide |
| | Killing a guest or host | hospiticide |
| | Killing a favorite | nepoticide |
| | Killing a friend | ambicide |
| | Killing an enemy | hosticide |
| | Killing a heretic | hereticide, heretocide |
| | Killing a tyrant | tyrannicide |
| | Killing of Christ | Christicide |
Killing Animals – Slaughter
There are terms for the killing of many types of animal. Here, in alphabetical order of animal, are 33 such –cide words:
| | Killing of bears | ursicide |
| | Killing of birds | avicide, birdicide |
| | Killing of boars | apricide |
| | Killing of bulls | tauricide |
| | Killing of cats | felicide |
| | Killing of chickens or turkeys | gallinicide |
| | Killing of cows | vaccicide |
| | Killing of deer | cervicide |
| | Killing of dogs | canicide |
| | Killing of elephants | elephanticide |
| | Killing of fish | piscicide |
| | Killing of fowls | gallicide |
| | Killing of fox | vulpicide |
| | Killing of goats | hiricide |
| | Killing of kangaroos | macropocide |
| | Killing of leeches | hirudicide |
| | Killing of mice | muricide |
| | Killing of moles | talpicide |
| | Killing of oxen | bovicide |
| | Killing of partridges | perdricide |
| | Killing of poultry | poultrycide |
| | Killing of rats | raticide |
| | Killing of reptiles | herpecide, herpicide |
| | Killing of rodents | rodenticide |
| | Killing of seals | sealicide |
| | Killing of serpents | serpenticide |
| | Killing of snails/molluscs | molluscacide |
| | Killing of sparrows | sparrowcide |
| | Killing of vermin | verminicide |
| | Killing of whales | ceticide |
| | Killing of wolves | lupidide |
Killing Insects
| | Killing of insects | insecticide |
| | Killing of adult insects | adulticide, imagocide, imagicide |
| | Killing of insect larvae | larvicide |
| | Killing of insect eggs | ovicide |
| | Killing of pests | pesticide |
| | Killing of ants | formicide, formicicide |
| | Killing of aphids | aphidicide, aphicide |
| | Killing of bedbugs | cimicide |
| | Killing of bees | apicide |
| | Killing of fleas | pulicide, pulicicide |
| | Killing of flies | muscacide, muscicide |
| | Killing of gnats or mosquitos | culicicide, culicide |
| | Killing of lice | lousicide, pediculicide |
| | Killing of mites | acaricide, miticide |
| | Killing of mosquitos | anophelicide, mosquitocide |
| | Killing of spiders or scorpions | arachnidcide |
| | Killing of ticks | tickicide |
| | Killing of wasps | vespacide |
Medicines And Drugs That Exterminate
In the same way that fungicide is used to kill fungal spores, there are thousands of medicines and drugs used to kill all manner of bacteria and diseases. The words for such substances often end in –cide, for example:
| | Amebae | amebacide, amebicide, amoebicide |
| | Animal parasites | epizocide |
| | Anthrax | anthracocide |
| | Bacilli | bacillicide |
| | Bacteria | bactericide, bacteriacide, bacteriocide |
| | Blood corpuscles | globulicide |
| | Blood flukes | schistosomacide, schistosomicide |
| | Cancerous cells | tumorcide |
| | Cells | cytocide |
| | Diarrhea-causing parasites | trichomonacide |
| | Fever (reducing fever) | febricide |
| | Germs | germicide |
| | Gonorrhea | gonococcide, gonoccocide |
| | Intestinal worms | helminthicide, vermicide |
| | Leukocytes | leukocide, leucocide |
| | Malarial parasites | gametocide, plasmodicide, schizonticide |
| | Microbes | microbicide |
| | Nematode worms | nematocide, nematicide, nemacide |
| | Oxyuris worms | oxyuricide |
| | Parasites | parasiticide |
| | Parasitic bacteria | treponemicide |
| | Protozoans | protozoacide |
| | Roundworms | ascaricide, filaricide, lumbricide |
| | Scabies | scabicide, scabieticide |
| | Sleeping sickness infection | trypanocide, trypanosomacide |
| | Sperm | spermicide, spermatocide, spermatozoicide |
| | Spirilla bacteria | spirillicide |
| | Spirochetes bacteria | spirocheticide, spirochaeticide |
| | Spores | fungicide, sporicide |
| | Staph | staphylocide, staphylococcide, staphylococcicide |
| | Streptococci bacteria | streptococcicide |
| | Tapeworms | taenicide, taeniacide, teniacide, tenicide |
| | Toxins | toxicide, toxinicide |
| | Tuberculosis bacilli | tuberculocide |
| | Viruses | viruscide, virucide |
Killing Plantlife
| | Killing of algae | algaecide, algicide |
| | Killing of flowers | floricide |
| | Killing of plants | herbicide, phytocide |
| | Killing of weeds | weedicide |
Other Death, Annihilation, and Obliteration
| | Killing a god | deicide |
| | Killing of a giant | gianticide |
| | Killing of a monster | monstricide |
| | Killing putrid things | putricide |
| | Destruction of books | tomecide |
| | Destroying words | logocide, verbicide |
| | Destruction of a culture | ethnocide |
| | Destruction of ancient buildings/monuments | petracide |
| | Destruction of laws | legicide |
| | Destruction of liberty | liberticide |
| | Destruction of life | biocide |
| | Ruining a suitor's chances | suitorcide |
| | Ruining someone's reputation | famicide |
| | Killing the mind (brainwashing) | menticide |
| | Killing a faith | fideicide |
| | Killing facts (distorting the truth) | facticide |
| | Killing someone with a motor vehicle | autocide |
Extreme Death, Killing, Destruction, and Extermination
And finally, we've saved the best (or worst) for last. These five words refer to killing on a massive scale:
| | Destruction of everything | onmicide |
| | Destruction of the entire world | mundicide |
| | Destruction of the natural world | ecocide |
| | Killing of all people | populicide |
| | Extermination of an entire racial, political, or cultural group | genocide |
More Fun With Words
If you enjoyed our 200 –cide words, you'll love our 600 phobia words. Find out the name for your phobia.
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