matricide

[ ma-tri-sahyd, mey- ]

/ ˈmæ trɪˌsaɪd, ˈmeɪ- /

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noun

the act of killing one's mother.

a person who kills his or her mother.

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Origin of matricide

1585–95; <Latin mātricīdium(def. 1), mātricīda(def. 2); see matri-, -cide

OTHER WORDS FROM matricide

mat·ri·cid·al, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH matricide

matricide , parricide, patricide

Words nearby matricide

matriarchate, matriarchy, matric, matrical, matrices, matricide, matriclinous, matricliny, matriculant, matriculate, matriculation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use matricide in a sentence

If I had put “Matricide” on the Internet right after I had finished it, you would not be interviewing me right now.
Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life|David Yaffe|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had to pass sentence of death upon an atrocious scoundrel convicted of matricide.
The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I.|Sir Leslie Stephen
When Seneca sanctioned, and then defended on political grounds, the matricide of Nero, from that moment his own doom was sealed.
Roman Mosaics|Hugh Macmillan
It must be confessed that a great deal of the peculiar guilt of matricide evaporates in the process of explanation.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata

Woman is invulnerable; matricide is deemed the most dreadful crime that calls upon all men for vengeance.
Woman and Socialism|August Bebel
Nero's matricide was not a crime, in so far as it was a positive outward act.
Short Studies on Great Subjects|James Anthony Froude

British Dictionary definitions for matricide

matricide

/ (ˈmætrɪˌsaɪd, ˈmeɪ-) /

noun

the act of killing one's own mother

a person who kills his mother

Derived forms of matricide

matricidal, adjective

Word Origin for matricide

C16: from Latin mātrīcīdium (the act), mātrīcīda (the agent). See matri-, -cide

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for matricide

matricide

[ măt′rĭ-sīd′ ]

The act of killing one's mother.

Other words from matricide

mat′ri•cid′al (-sīd′l) adj.