Definition

The act of intentionally causing the death of a baby or very young child.

Example

The law strictly prohibits infanticide and imposes severe penalties for those found guilty.

Conversation

Have you ever heard about the history of infanticide in ancient societies?

Yeah, it's really disturbing how some cultures accepted it back then.

I know, right? It's hard to believe that killing infants was once seen as normal.

It definitely puts things into perspective about how far we've come.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Infanticide is formed from "infans" (meaning infant or baby) and "-cide" (from Latin "caedere", meaning to kill). The word refers to the act of killing an infant or baby.

Memory Tip

Think of 'infans' meaning baby and '-cide' meaning to kill — that's why infanticide means the act of killing a baby.

Visually Confused Words