matricide

American  

[ma-tri-sahyd, mey-] / ˈmæ trɪˌsaɪd, ˈmeɪ- /

noun

1. the act of killing one's mother.

2. a person who kills their mother.

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matricide British  

/ ˈmeɪ-, ˈmætrɪˌsaɪd /

noun

1. the act of killing one's own mother

2. a person who kills his mother

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Other Word Forms

• matricidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of matricide

First recorded 1585–95; from Latin mātricīdium matricide ( def. 1 ), mātricīda matricide ( def. 2 ); see matri-, -cide

Explanation

If someone kills his or her own mother, it's called matricide. You can find plenty of matricide in ancient Greek myths. The suffix -cide is a clue that something murderous is going on with this word: it means "killer," from the Latin -cida, "cutter or slayer." You can find it in words like insecticide and pesticide too. The first part of matricide comes from the root mater, or "mother."

Example Sentences

It is a penetrating and restrained portrait of a matricide trial that will leave you moved and changed.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2023

Presumably, we want a severe social sanction against matricide; parents will certainly think so.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 8, 2019

By the time Holt is galloping through flames and Vandevere is threatening to kill Dumbo’s mom — matricide being a studio signature — the movie has gone enjoyably bonkers.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2019

Braendle's unpublished work shows matricide is actually a plastic response encoded in the genes that, with one more mutation, became permanent.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 28, 2018

Woman is considered inviolable; matricide is the blackest of all crimes: it summons all men to retribution.

From Woman under socialism by De Leon, Daniel