Femicides

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of killing a woman or girl, specifically because of her gender, reflecting extreme violence against females
2. Homicides committed against women, emphasizing the gender-based nature of the violence involved
3. Murders of women that are motivated by misogyny, highlighting societal issues related to gender discrimination and violence

Etymology: "Femicides" is the plural of "femicide," a noun for the killing of women. Its second half, "-cide," is a familiar combining form meaning "killing," seen in "homicide" and "genocide," and the first half, "fem-," comes from Latin "fēmina," meaning "woman." English speakers assembled the two pieces on the model of those older words, so the term is a modern construction built from classical parts rather than something inherited from antiquity. The Latin "fēmina" is the root of many English words connected to femaleness, such as "feminine" and "female," which entered English through Old French and Latin respectively. "Femicide" follows the same pattern as "homicide," which combines Latin "homo" (human being) with "-cide." The result is a term that names a specific category of killing by sex rather than by the general victim.

Synonyms: gender-based killings, female homicides