Table of Contents
Definition of Homicide
(noun) The killing of an individual by another individual.
Homicide Pronunciation
Syllabification: hom·i·cide
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /hAHm-uh-sied/
- British English – /hOm-i-sied/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈhɑməˌsaɪd/
- British English – /ˈhɒmɪsʌɪd/
Usage Notes
- Plural: homicides
- Loosely defined, homicide is the murder of an individual and genocide is the murder of a group.
- The United States legally differentiates between four primary types of homicide. First-degree murder, Second-degree murder, Voluntary Manslaughter (also called Third-degree murder), and Involuntary Manslaughter.
- Types:
- A (adjective) homicidal individual commits a homicide.
Related Video
Additional Information
- Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “homicide” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont: CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Homicide
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “homicide.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 23, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/homicide/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
homicide. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/homicide/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “homicide.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/homicide/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“homicide.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/homicide/>.