amicide

/ˈæm.ɪ.saɪd/

Etymology

Misspelling of amicicide, from Latin amicus (“friend”) + -cide.

Why this word is great

AMICIDE — [Noun] The act of killing a friend or the accidental killing of a member of one's own side in warfare. A misspelling of *amicicide*, from Latin *amicus* ("friend") and *-cide* ("killing"). Unlike "fratricide" (which narrows to brothers) or "friendly fire" (which sanitizes the tragedy with military jargon), "amicide" carries the intimate weight of betrayal—a blade turned inward. It is the glint of recognition in a comrade’s eyes a moment too late, the misread map in the fog of war, the toast shared in silence before the fatal shot. A word for when trust becomes the weapon.

noun

  1. The act of killing a friend.“Friends looked on the corpse of him they loved, and among the truest mourners was the unintentional amicide.”
  2. The accidental killing of a member of one's own side in warfare.“It was called amicide. friendly fire, or blue-on-blue.”