Suffix · forms nouns
From Latin "caedere" (to kill): names either the act of killing or the agent that kills. Homicide, pesticide.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -cide comes from Latin "caedere" (to kill) and appears in two types of word: 1. The act of killing: homicide (killing a person), suicide (killing oneself), genocide (killing a group). 2. The agent that kills: pesticide (kills pests), herbicide (kills weeds), insecticide (kills insects). In Spanish the cognates are almost identical: most English -cide words map directly to Spanish -cida or -cidio.
The first part of the word identifies what or who dies: homo- (person): homicide sui- (oneself, Latin): suicide geno- (race/group, Greek): genocide infanti- (infant): infanticide regi- (king): regicide herbi- (herb/plant): herbicide pesti- (pest): pesticide insecti- (insect): insecticide fungi- (fungus): fungicide bacteri- (bacteria): bactericide
-cide is pronounced /saɪd/ like the word "side". Stress usually falls on the syllable before it: HO-mi-cide, SUI-cide, PES-ti-cide. In everyday use, "suicide" and "homicide" are the most frequent. The rest (genocide, pesticide, herbicide) are more formal or technical and appear in news, medicine, biology, and law. "Pesticide" and "herbicide" are common in agricultural and environmental contexts.
Latin/Greek root (what dies or what kills) + cide.
-cide can refer to the agent (pesticide = the product that kills) or the act (homicide = the act of killing). Context makes clear which is which: legal and social words are usually acts; chemistry and agriculture words are usually agents.
-cide/saɪd/ · rhymes with 'side'
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"Suicide" = killing oneself (sui = Latin "own"). "Homicide" = killing another person (homo = person). An important distinction in legal and journalistic contexts.
In English the ending is -cide with no extra -io. "Pesticide" is not "pesticidio".
The English cognate is "genocide" (geno-cide), not "genocidio". Spanish -cidio words end in -cide in English.
A trick to remember it
Key: -cide = kill or thing that kills. Acts of killing: homicide, suicide, genocide. Killing agents: pesticide, herbicide, insecticide. First part = who or what dies; -cide = the act or the agent.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "suicide" and "homicide"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"Genocide" refers to...
The suffix -cide from Latin "caedere" (to kill): names either the act of killing or the agent that kills. Homicide, pesticide. In Spanish it usually maps to -cida / -cidio.
The ending -cide is pronounced /saɪd/ · rhymes with 'side'. For example, "homicide".
"homo (person)" becomes "homicide". It is a typical example of the -cide suffix.
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