What does uxoricide mean?
Uxoricide is a rare noun for the killing of a wife by her husband; in some modern legal and literary usage, it can also denote the husband who commits that killing. The word belongs primarily to formal, historical, and legal prose rather than everyday speech, and its meaning carries an explicitly gendered focus: the usual sense concerns a husband who kills his wife. A writer might use it when discussing the crime as an act, while a reference work may use it for the perpetrator. Its Latin elements make its meaning unusually transparent: uxor means "wife," and the -cide element refers to killing. Uxoricide is consequently more precise than the broader word homicide when the relationship and direction of the killing are central to the discussion. Although uncommon today, the word remains useful in legal history, literary analysis, and discussions of archaic language, where it distinguishes a specific form of marital violence from other kinds of homicide.
nounThe killing of one's wife by her husband; also, a husband who kills his wife.
- The act of killing one's wife.
- A husband who kills his wife.
"The novel explores the grim psychological aftermath of uxoricide."
"The novel examines the psychological aftermath of uxoricide."
"He was convicted of uxoricide after the death of his wife."
The standard plural is uxoricides. It may refer either to multiple acts of killing a wife or to multiple husbands who kill their wives.
"The historian examines several uxoricides recorded in nineteenth-century newspapers."
Uxoricide literally joins "wife" and "killing"—a vivid example of how English can encode a relationship directly in a single word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of uxoricide
Uxoricide was formed in English from Latin uxor, meaning "wife," and the combining element -cide, meaning "killer" or "killing." The latter comes through forms associated with Latin caedere, "to kill, slay." Its formation follows the Latinate pattern of words such as homicide, while uxor and uxorious preserve the same Latin root concerning a wife.
Related word forms
How uxoricide is actually used
This is a rare word found chiefly in formal, legal, historical, and literary prose. Its standard meaning specifically concerns a husband who kills his wife; it should not be used as a general term for spousal homicide.