homicide
/ˈhɑ.məˌsaɪ̯d/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.80 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The killing of one person by another, whether premeditated or unintentional.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A victim of homicide; a person who has been unlawfully killed by someone else.
American usage; Countable
noun
The department within a police force that investigates cases of homicide.
American usage; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Homicides in general and victorious warriors in particular are often obliged to perform a variety of ceremonies for the purpose of ridding them of the dangerous ghosts of their victims."
- "“She was a hippie kid. How hard would you work a case like that?” “As hard as anyone else,” said Goddard. There was an irritated note in his voice. “She was a homicide. She got what every homicide investigation gets.”"
- "We don't even know the woman was a homicide. Didn't they say it was possible they both jumped?"
- "The medical examiner was behind on autopsies and cranky, so we didn't even know if the old guy in the pool was a homicide."
Etymology
From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”).
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: homicide, homicīda
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhɑ.məˌsaɪ̯d/
- British English: /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- American usage