infanticide

American  

[in-fan-tuh-sahyd] / ɪnˈfæn təˌsaɪd /

noun

1. the act of killing an infant.

2. the practice of killing newborn infants.

3. a person who kills an infant.

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infanticide British  

/ ɪnˈfæntɪˌsaɪd /

noun

1. the killing of an infant

2. the practice of killing newborn infants, still prevalent in some primitive tribes

3. a person who kills an infant

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Other Word Forms

• infanticidal
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of infanticide

1650–60; infanticide ( def. 1 ) < Late Latin infanticīdium; infanticide ( def. 2 ) < Late Latin infanticīda. See infant, -i-, -cide

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

infanticide

Amid this bloodshed, however, researchers noticed a more peaceful resolution to familial upheaval: Adoptions of unrelated chicks by stepparents was just as common as infanticide.

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

Later in her trial, jurors were given the option to consider an alternative verdict of infanticide rather than murder if they believed she killed Stanley whilst the balance of her mind was disturbed.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2023

Among the trials I examined at Saragossa, was one very similar to that of Corellas, but the criminals had not committed the crime of infanticide, or made a compact with the demon.

From The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII. by Juan Antonio Llorente

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