What does regicide mean?
Regicide means the killing of a king or other reigning monarch, and it can also denote the person responsible for such a killing. The term is most closely associated with political and legal history, especially cases in which the death of a monarch was treated as an attack on the state rather than merely the killing of an individual. In British and American English, regicide is used in historical writing, legal discussion, and political commentary. Its connotations are strongly condemnatory, involving treason, rebellion, and the disruption of royal or governmental authority. The word is also used figuratively for the deliberate destruction of a powerful leader or an established authority, though this broader use is less common. Etymologically, it combines Latin roots meaning “king” and “to kill,” reflecting its long association with the most consequential form of political murder.
nounThe act of killing a king or other reigning monarch. The word can also refer to a person who has killed a monarch.
- The killing of a king or reigning monarch.
- A person who kills a king or reigning monarch.
"The regicide was treated as a crime against the legitimacy of the monarchy."
"Historians continue to debate the political consequences of the regicide."
"The court convicted him of regicide and sentenced him to death."
The plural is used for multiple acts of regicide or for multiple people responsible for killing a monarch.
"The chronicles recorded several regicides during the turbulent succession."
Regicide turns a dramatic act of political violence into a word that sounds almost ceremonial, but its history is inseparable from the idea that a monarch's death can destabilize an entire realm.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regicide come from?
The word comes from Latin, combining reg-, meaning “king” or “rule,” with -cide, from caedere, “to cut down” or “kill.” English borrowed the term in the late 16th century in the context of the execution of King Mary I and the political upheavals surrounding her reign. Its cognates include English words such as regal, regency, and interregnum, all of which share the Latin root associated with kingship and rule.
Related word forms
How regicide is actually used
Regicide is chiefly a historical, political, and legal term. In modern usage, it may refer more broadly to the killing of a reigning monarch and can carry strong associations with treason, rebellion, and the overthrow of royal authority.