English
famacide
Famacide comes from Latin fāma ‘reputation’, from Proto-Italic *fāmā ‘something said about another’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂meh₂1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāmā1‘something said about another’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfāma2‘reputation’
- Englishtodayfamacide2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin fama
- 2 Wiktionary, English famacide
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin fama‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂meh₂Wiktionary, Latin famareconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāmāWiktionary, Latin fama‘something said about another’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfāmaWiktionary, English famacide‘reputation’
- EnglishtodayfamacideWiktionary, English famacide
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’
phone, focus, professor, fuel, ben, phase, ban, favourite, favor, fantasy, photographer, emphasis, fancy, phenomenon, profession, fate, bee, abandon, fabulous, fatal, confession, fairy, confess, infant, phantom, symphony, beck, beacon, boon, eff, bane, prophetic, epiphany, fab, foyer, banish, fay, buoy, fable, profess, 124 more
through Proto-Italic *fāmā ‘something said about another’
through Latin fāma ‘reputation’
Today it means
noun A slanderer or person who destroys another's reputation
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “famacide”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin fama. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / famacide