/ ɪnˈfæntɪsaɪd; NAmE / noun ( formal )
1.
[ U , C ] the crime of killing a baby; a person who is guilty of this crime
2.
[ U ] (in some cultures) the practice of killing babies that are not wanted, for example because they are girls and not boys
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: via French from late Latin infanticidium , from Latin infant- (unable to speak, from in- not + fant- speaking) + -cidium (from caedere kill).