regicide
1 synonym for regicide, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The killing of a king or reigning monarch.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
kingslayer
How to use regicide
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
act of regicide
guilty of regicide
commit regicide
accused of regicide
Regicide is a formal, mainly historical term rather than everyday vocabulary.
Etymology
Regicide has two related roots in Medieval Latin. The sense meaning the killing itself comes from regicidium, meaning king-killing, while the sense meaning the killer comes from regicida, meaning king-killer. The word for the killer has been used in English since the 1540s.
Full origin of regicide →Frequently asked questions
What does regicide mean?
Regicide means either the killing of a king or the person who kills one, depending on context.
What is the difference between regicide and tyrannicide?
Tyrannicide specifically means killing a tyrant, which counts as one particular case of regicide when the king in question is a tyrant.
Can regicide refer to both the act and the person?
Yes, regicide can mean the killing of a king or the person who committed it, and both uses come from related Latin words.
