uxoricide
Very lowFormal, literary, legal, academic
Definition
Meaning
The act of murdering one's wife.
Can also refer to a person who commits this act, though the primary definition is the act itself.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A specific, technical term for a type of homicide, carrying strong connotations of domestic violence and betrayal. It belongs to a set of rarely used Latin-derived terms for specific murders (e.g., fratricide, patricide).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage; the term is equally rare and formal in both varieties.
Connotations
Universally carries extreme gravity and a clinical, often legalistic tone. Its use outside of specific contexts (e.g., criminology, historical accounts) can seem deliberately archaic or sensationalist.
Frequency
Extremely rare in everyday speech in both regions. Might appear in historical true crime, legal textbooks, or as a deliberate, learned synonym in high-register writing.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] committed uxoricide.The [adjective] uxoricide shocked the community.He was convicted/charged with uxoricide.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in legal studies, criminology, sociology, and historical texts to classify types of homicide precisely.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely; would be replaced by "killed his wife" or "wife murder."
Technical
A precise legal/medical term in forensic pathology or criminal law.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The historical records suggest the tyrant may have uxoricided his first wife.
American English
- In the novel, the character is driven to uxoricide after discovering the betrayal.
adjective
British English
- The uxoricidal husband showed no remorse during the trial.
American English
- The prosecutor outlined the defendant's uxoricidal intent.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The word 'uxoricide' means the crime of killing your wife.
- It is not a word people use often.
- The court case centred on a shocking act of uxoricide.
- He was found guilty of uxoricide after a lengthy trial.
- The historian's thesis examined the political ramifications of the monarch's alleged uxoricide.
- In forensic psychology, uxoricide is often studied as a distinct subset of domestic homicide.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'UXO' as in 'unexploded ordnance' – something extremely dangerous left in the home. Combine with '-cide' (killing). A dangerous act at home resulting in a wife's death.
Conceptual Metaphor
CRIME IS A SPECIFIC CATEGORY (belongs to the '-cide' taxonomy of killings).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with "убийство" (ubijstvo) meaning generic murder. Russian lacks a single common equivalent; it would be described as "убийство жены" (ubijstvo zheny). The Latin root is unfamiliar.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean divorce or separation (it specifically means killing).
- Using it as a general term for any female murder (it is specific to a wife killed by her husband).
- Misspelling as 'uxoricise' or 'uxoricede'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'uxoricide' be MOST appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an extremely rare and formal/technical term. In everyday speech, people say 'he killed his wife' or 'wife murder.'
Yes, 'mariticide' can refer to the killing of a husband (or, more broadly, any spouse). However, like uxoricide, it is very rare and technical.
Yes, though less common. Primarily it means the act. A person who commits it is an 'uxoricide' or more commonly described as an 'uxoricidal husband' or 'wife-killer.'
It comes from Latin: 'uxor' meaning 'wife' + '-cide' from 'caedere' meaning 'to cut' or 'to kill.'