Cervicide

/ˈsɛrvɪˌsaɪd/ noun

Definition

The act of killing or the murder of a deer, or historically, the killing of a cervid (deer-family animal).

Etymology

From Latin cervus (deer) plus -cide (killing/killer); follows the pattern of words like patricide (killing a father) and homicide (killing a human), applying the suffix to the Latin word for deer.

Kelly Says

While 'cervicide' technically means killing a deer, it's rarely used today—English speakers just say 'deer hunting,' but the word exists as a reminder that Latin scientific terminology can describe almost any action with the '-cide' suffix.

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