matricide

/ˌmætrəˈsaɪd/

Other forms: matricides

If someone kills his or her own mother, it's called matricide. You can find plenty of matricide in ancient Greek myths.

The suffix -cide is a clue that something murderous is going on with this word: it means "killer," from the Latin -cida, "cutter or slayer." You can find it in words like insecticide and pesticide too. The first part of matricide comes from the root mater, or "mother."

Definitions of matricide

1. noun

   the murder of one's own mother
   type of:

   parricide

   the murder of your own father or mother
2. noun

   a person who murders their mother
   type of:

   parricide

   someone who kills his or her parent