Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of killing one's own child: "Filicide" refers specifically to the murder of a son or daughter by their own parent.
   • A person who kills their own child: "Filicide" can also denote a parent who commits the act of killing their own son or daughter.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Act):
  • The court case centered on the tragic filicide of two young children.
  • The psychological motives behind filicide are complex and often studied by criminologists.
• Noun (Person):
  • The convicted filicide was sentenced to life in prison.
  • Historical records sometimes label the mythological figure Medea as a filicide.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in legal, psychological, and sociological contexts to discuss the specific nature of the crime, distinguishing it from other forms of homicide like fratricide (killing a sibling) or parricide (killing a parent).
• It can appear in compound forms or related phrases, though the core word "filicide" itself is used as defined above.

Variants and Related Words

• Filicidal (adj): Pertaining to or characteristic of filicide.
  • The report described the act as filicidal violence.

Synonyms

• Child murder: A more general, non-technical term for the act.
• (No direct single-word synonym for the person): Perpetrator of filicide, child-killer.

Related Phrases

• While "filicide" itself is not typically part of phrasal verbs, it is central to phrases like:
  • To commit filicide
  • A case of filicide

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms that incorporate the word "filicide" due to its specific and grave meaning. It is used in its literal sense.

Noun

1. the murder of your own son or daughter
2. a parent who murders his own son or daughter