What does homicide mean?
Homicide is the deliberate and unlawful killing of another person. The word is used in everyday reporting to describe a killing believed to have been intentional and in legal contexts as a broad category encompassing more specific offenses such as murder and manslaughter. It is generally more formal and institutional than the everyday word “murder” and does not, by itself, identify every element required for a particular criminal charge. The scale and intent of the killing determine how the case is legally classified, so a fatal incident may initially be described as a homicide investigation before authorities establish the charge. In ordinary speech, “homicide” often carries a stronger and more clinical association than “killing,” emphasizing that a human life was deliberately taken. The term is distinct from suicide, which means a person causing their own death, and should not be used as a general synonym for an accidental death.
nounThe unlawful and intentional killing of another person. In legal contexts, homicide may include both murder and manslaughter, depending on the degree of intent and the circumstances of the killing.
- The unlawful and intentional killing of another person.
- The intentional killing of another person, without necessarily implying a particular criminal charge.
"The police have charged him with homicide following the discovery of the victim's body."
"Investigators are treating the fire as an accident rather than a homicide."
"In some legal systems, every criminal killing is classified broadly as homicide before it is categorized as murder or manslaughter."
The plural refers to individual incidents or cases of homicide.
"The report documented a rise in homicides in several major cities."
Homicide comes from Latin words meaning “a human” and “to cut or kill”—an etymological reminder that the word centers on the taking of another human life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does homicide come from?
Homicide entered English through Old French homicide from Latin homicide, a term meaning “the killing of a human being.” The Latin word combines hominem, the accusative form of homo, “human,” with caedere, “to cut or kill.” The latter root also underlies words such as caesura and incision, in which the sense of cutting remains visible.
Related word forms
How homicide is actually used
Homicide is a formal and frequently legal term. In general usage it means the deliberate killing of another person; in many legal systems it serves as a broader category that includes murder and manslaughter.
Easily confused with homicide
Homicide is the general legal category for the unlawful intentional killing of another person, whereas manslaughter usually denotes an unlawful killing committed without the intent required for murder.
Homicide refers to the killing of another person, while suicide refers to a person intentionally causing their own death.