Homicide

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/

Definitions

1. The deliberate or unlawful killing of one person by another human being
2. An instance where one individual causes the death of another person through violent means
3. The act of causing the death of one person by another, especially through unlawful or violent means

Etymology: The word "homicide" is a Latin compound at heart, built from "homo," meaning "man" or "human being," and "caedere," meaning "to cut down" or "to strike." Its Latin forms were "homicida," a man-slayer, and "homicidium," the act of manslaughter. The Latin word split into two senses in the same breath: the person who kills and the deed itself, a pattern that still shows in how English uses the word. It reached English by way of Old French, which had taken the Latin term as "homicide." Notice that the "homo" element is the same root as "human," so the word literally names a killing of one human by another, a neutral description of the act rather than a judgment about it.

Synonyms: murder, manslaughter