matricide

[ ma-tri-sahyd, mey- ]

/ ˈmæ trɪˌsaɪd, ˈmeɪ- /

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noun

the act of killing one's mother.

a person who kills their mother.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of matricide

First recorded 1585–95; from 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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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