feticide

English

Alternative forms

foeticide

Etymology

fetus +‎ -cide or fetus +‎ -icide, from French -cide, from Latin -cida (“cutter, killer”), from -cid (combining form of caedō (“cut, kill”)) + -a (“-er”) (used for form agent nouns).

Noun

feticide (plural feticides)

An abortion, specifically, the killing of a fetus. [from 19th century]
- 2002, Daniel Schiff, Abortion in Judaism, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 68:
  Zimra, then, takes an unequivocal stance; favoring Rashi's view over that of Maimonides, he offers little comfort for the rodef approach, holding instead that feticide cannot be regarded as murder becaue the fetus is not a nefesh.
- 1878, H. Gibbons, "On Feticide" in Transactions of the Session of the Medical Society of the State of California vol. 8; J. Anthony & Co., Printers; page 209:
  Notwithstanding the earnest opposition of writers and lecturers and preachers and legislators, the practice of feticide appears to be on the increase.
One who kills a fetus.

Translations

killing of a fetus

Icelandic: fósturdráp n

one who kills a fetus