homicide

[hom-uh-sahyd, hoh-muh-] /ˈhɒm əˌsaɪd, ˈhoʊ mə-/

noun

the killing of one human being by another.

a person who kills another; murderer.

Origin

1325-75; Middle English < Middle French < Latin homicīdium a killing, homicīda killer, equivalent to homi- (combining form of homō man) + -cīdium, -cīda -cide

Related forms

self-homicide, noun

Can be confused

homicide, kill, manslaughter, murder (see synonym study at kill)

Examples from the web for homicide

After an unexpected homicide at the halfway point, both films fall apart.
It must be very difficult to calculate homicide rates in prehistoric societies.
The charges included murder, conspiracy and negligent homicide.
And the homicide unit is working on the theory that the killer was a woman.
What started as a hunt for a missing 10-year-old is now a homicide investigation.
The jury returned a verdict reciting only that he was guilty of reckless homicide.
The death was ruled a homicide.
The cops linked his car to one that's sought in a Texas homicide.
Our cousin is a real-life private detective and points out homicide scenes as we drive around.
In 1954, King shot a man who was trying to rob one of his gambling houses and it was ruled a justifiable homicide.

British Dictionary definitions for homicide

homicide

/ˈhɒmɪˌsaɪd/

noun

the killing of a human being by another person

a person who kills another

Word Origin

C14: from Old French, from Latin homo man + caedere to slay

Word Origin and History for homicide

"the killing of another person," early 13c., from Old French homicide, from Latin homicidium "manslaughter," from homo "man" (see homunculus) + -cidium "act of killing" (see -cide). The meaning "person who kills another" (late 14c.) also is from French, from Latin homicida "a murderer," from -cida "killer."

homicide in Culture

homicide [(hom-uh-seyed)]

The killing of one person by another, whether intended (murder) or not (manslaughter). Not all homicide is unlawful; killing in self-defense, for example, is not a crime.