fratricide
1 synonym for fratricide, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The killing of one's own brother or sister.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
brother-slayer
How to use fratricide
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
an act of fratricide
commit fratricide
a case of fratricide
military fratricide
It is a formal, rather literary or legal word, not something said in everyday conversation.
Etymology
Fratricide entered English through Middle French fratricide. The sense of the killing itself traces to the Latin frātricīdium, while the sense of the person who commits it traces to the related Latin frātricīda.
Full origin of fratricide →Frequently asked questions
What does fratricide mean?
Fratricide means the killing of one's own brother or sister, and by extension it can also mean the person who does the killing.
Is fratricide only used about family killings?
No, in a military context fratricide also refers to soldiers accidentally or deliberately killing others on their own side.
What is a person who commits fratricide called?
That person can also be called a fratricide, or a brother-slayer.
