Homicide
/ˈhɒm.ɪ.saɪd/noun
The killing of one person by another, especially when not legally excused.
Did you know?Homicide comes from Latin *homicidium*, formed from *homo* (“human being”) + *-cidium* (“killing”), the same deadly suffix behind words like *pesticide* and *suicide*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhghem-
“earth, ground; the source of Latin words for human beings as earth-born creatures”
Latin
Latin
homo
“human being, person”
Latin
Latin
-cidium
“killing, a cutting down”
Late Latin
Latin
homicidium
“a killing of a human being, murder”
Old French
OF
homicide
“killing of a person; murderer”
Middle English
English
homicide
“the killing of one person by another”