filicide

Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child.

The term “filicide” is derived from the Latin words filius and filia (meaning ‘son’ and ‘daughter’) and the suffix -cide, meaning to kill, murder, or cause death.

There are three types of filicide: neonaticide (the murder of a child less than one day old), infanticide (the murder of a child older than one day and less than one year old), and pedicide (murder of a child older than one year and less than age sixteen).

Filicide can be committed by either parent, but it is more commonly committed by mothers.