Can some one please help? What is the correct word for when one kills their own people, which 'cide' is it. I can't think and I need it please. In refernce to war.

Cheers

Steve

Oh, I thought that would be easy but it's not, is it. The nearest I can get is the adjective INTERNECINE which in my dictionary is defined as:
1. Mutually destructive, ruinous or fatal to both sides.
2. Characterised by bloodshed or carnage.
3. Carried on within a nation or organisation.
Hope this helps.
Dee.

Cheers Dee,

I've had to stop typing now, the little monster has woken up.

Steve

It is probably still OK to use genocide
the mass extermination of a people

Steve,

Which people? Nation or family? Patricide or matricide for father or mother; fratricide for brother; sororicide (I assume) for sister.......

Mike

Syeve

Just to add to Mike's list (if I may, Mike)

uxoricide - the killing of one's wife
and
fratricide - is the killing of one's brother or sister


John

The word I'm looking for is when you get 'blue on blue' or 'friendly fire'. I've seen it in a book I read recently but can't remember it, concerning American troops killing one another. At present I've re-worded the sentence, had no choice, this was driving me nuts!

Steve

uxoricide is a great word, as is uxorious, but, Jumbo, fratricide does, and can by definition, only apply to brothers.

M

Mike
My Concise Oxford Dictionaries (Fifth & Ninth Edition) both define it as 'the killing of one's brother or sister'. It throws up an interesting question, doesn't it. Where do you go for the definitive definition of a word? Mike, I guess you have a source that defines it differently.
Regards
John

<Added>

There's an article from the Los Angeles times at http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030516-friendly-fire01.htm which discusses 'friendly fire' and uses the word 'fratricide' throughout!

Perhaps fratricide can be used in the sense of comrades being like or as brothers?

Just a thought

Steve
I've just added a link to a news reprot that does just that!
John

Hey, don't forget pesticide!

I think the word you want is 'your-own-side-icide'.

or just your-own-cide...