Etymology
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biocide (n.)

"destruction of living tissue or living species," 1947, from bio- + -cide. An older word for it was biolysis.

Entries linking to biocide

bio- 
word-forming element, especially in scientific compounds, meaning "life, life and," or "biology, biology and," or "biological, of or pertaining to living organisms or their constituents," from Greek bios "one's life, course or way of living, lifetime" (as opposed to zoe "animal life, organic life"), from PIE root *gwei- "to live." The correct usage is that in biography, but since c. 1800 in modern science it has been extended to mean "organic life," as zoo-, the better choice, is restricted in modern use to animal, as opposed to plant, life. Both are from the same PIE root. Compare biology.
-cide 

word-forming element meaning "killer," from French -cide, from Latin -cida "cutter, killer, slayer," from -cidere, combining form of caedere "to strike down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay," from Proto-Italic *kaid-o-, from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike." For Latin vowel change, see acquisition. The element also can represent "killing," from French -cide, from Latin -cidium "a cutting, a killing."

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Dictionary entries near biocide

bio

biocentric

biochemical

biochemist

biochemistry

biocide

bioclimatology

biodegradable

biodiesel

biodiversity

bioethics

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper