femicide

[fem-uh-sahyd]

noun

1. the act of killing a woman, as by a domestic partner or a member of a criminal enterprise.

   The rate of femicide where there is drug trafficking is far greater than it is elsewhere.

2. the deliberate, wanton violation and massacre of women and girls, as in a particular ethnic group by an invading army.

3. a person who kills a woman.

   In certain countries, femicides appear to act with impunity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of femicide¹

First recorded in 1820–30; feme + -i- + -cide

Example Sentences

She believes the new definition of femicide is too vague and will prove difficult for judges to implement.

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Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be punished with a life sentence.

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Two years on, MPs have voted for a law on femicide after a long and passionately debated session of parliament.

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It makes Italy one of very few places to categorise femicide as a distinct crime.

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From now on, Italy will record every murder of a woman that is motivated by her gender as femicide.

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