infanticide
noun
in·fan·ti·cide
| \ in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd
\
\
Definition of infanticide
1
: the killing of an infant
2
[ Late Latin infanticida, from Latin infant-, infans + -i- + -cida -cide ]
: one who kills an infant
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from infanticide
infanticidal
\ in-ˌfan-tə-ˈsī-dᵊl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of infanticide in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Massachusetts Republican Party has targeted supporters of the bill with over-the-top rhetoric, accusing them of supporting infanticide. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "On Beacon Hill, high-voltage testimony about abortion," 17 June 2019 Four of them died during the winter (before weaning), whereas only six of the 40 infants who were allonursed died (and this includes two cases of male infanticide that occurred when a new male took over a group). — National Geographic, "Why do these monkeys nurse each other’s babies?," 22 Feb. 2019 Even when births are successful, there are often instances not only of infant mortality but also of calf rejection and infanticide, something almost never witnessed in thousands of studies of wild elephant herds. — New York Times, "Zoos Called It a ‘Rescue.’ But Are the Elephants Really Better Off?," 9 July 2019 Who doesn't love a little didactic infanticide with their hot dog binge? — Aj Willingham, CNN, "The best scarfing methods at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest," 4 July 2019 Research suggests that within the illness, the suicide rate is five percent, and the rate of infanticide is four percent, according to Postpartum Support International. — Kellie Hwang, Indianapolis Star, "'You are not alone': How to identify and get help for postpartum depression," 20 June 2019 By mating with males from every coalition that entered her territory, the now 10-year-old lioness was likely protecting her cubs from infanticide by deliberately obscuring the identity of their father. — Grant Currin, National Geographic, "How Asiatic lionesses shield their cubs from killer males," 26 Apr. 2019 Horrific infanticides will be replaced with humane, painless chicken abortions. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Why billions of baby chickens are killed every year," 15 June 2019 Our recent camera trap data shows a lot of juveniles and newborns are being protected by the dominant male, under his legs—that’s strange because sometimes dominant males commit infanticide. — National Geographic, "World’s Biggest Pig Captured in Rare Video," 22 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infanticide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for infanticide
infanticide
noun
English Language Learners Definition of infanticide
: the act of killing a baby
See the full definition for infanticide in the English Language Learners Dictionary
infanticide
noun
in·fan·ti·cide
| \ in-ˈfant-ə-ˌsīd
\
\
Medical Definition of infanticide
1
: the killing of an infant
2
: one who kills an infant
Other Words from infanticide
infanticidal
\ -ˌfant-ə-ˈsīd-ᵊl
\
adjective
\
adjective
infanticide
noun
in·fan·ti·cide
| \ in-ˈfan-tə-ˌsīd
\
\
Legal Definition of infanticide
: the killing of a newly or recently born child