Foeticide

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of intentionally ending the life of a developing fetus prior to delivery
2. The deliberate act of causing the death of an unborn child before birth
3. A purposeful action taken to terminate a fetus during pregnancy

Etymology: "Foeticide" is a formal, spelled-out form of the word "feticide," built from "foetus," the Latin term for an offspring before birth, and the suffix "-cide," from Latin "-cida," meaning "killer" or "killing." The combination of the two parts gives a plain, technical sense: the killing of an unborn young one in the womb. The spelling with "oe" follows the older Latin-influenced convention for "foetus," which English writers used for many years before "fetus" became the standard spelling in American usage. Both "foeticide" and "feticide" are in use, with the "oe" form more common in British writing. The "-cide" ending is the same element found in words such as "homicide" and "suicide," where it denotes the act of killing.