The act of intentionally taking one's own life, or someone who commits this act.
From Latin sui (of oneself) and caedere (to kill), literally meaning 'self-killing'. The term was coined in the 17th century as a clinical alternative to religious terms like 'self-murder', reflecting changing attitudes toward mental health.
The clinical Latin construction of this word reflects society's attempt to medicalize and understand a deeply troubling human behavior. By moving away from morally charged terms, the word helped shift suicide from purely religious condemnation toward psychological and medical understanding.
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