infanticide
Americannoun
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the act of killing an infant.
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the practice of killing newborn infants.
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a person who kills an infant.
noun
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the killing of an infant
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the practice of killing newborn infants, still prevalent in some primitive tribes
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a person who kills an infant
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infanticide
1650–60; infanticide ( def. 1 ) < Late Latin infanticīdium; infanticide ( def. 2 ) < Late Latin infanticīda. See infant, -i-, -cide
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In August, the woman, whose identity is protected by an anonymity order, pleaded guilty to infanticide and attempted murder.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The work is the first to show that adoption, like infanticide, can lead to long-term reproductive success.
From Science Magazine ● May 5, 2024
From the moment a male lion is born it faces a gauntlet of challenges – from snakebite and hungry hyenas to infanticide at the hands of other male lions.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 21, 2023
Jurors rejected Dickason’s legal defenses under New Zealand’s insanity and infanticide laws.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
In modern countries infanticide has been common or rare according to the penalties, in law or the mores, upon husbandless mothers.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by William Graham Sumner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
