Etymograph

English

hospiticide

Hospiticide comes from Latin hospes ‘host" or "guest’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis ‘lord, master’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰóstipotis1‘lord, master’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hostipotis1‘host’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhospes1‘host" or "guest’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhospiticīda2
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1837hospiticide2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin hospiticida
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English hospiticide
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Edward Smallwood, Manuella: “Armed with the weapon which was destined to destroy…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰóstipotisWiktionary, Latin hospiticida‘lord, master’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hostipotisWiktionary, Latin hospiticida‘host’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhospesWiktionary, Latin hospiticida‘host" or "guest’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhospiticīdaWiktionary, English hospiticide
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1837hospiticideWiktionary, English hospiticide. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Edward Smallwood, Manuella: “Armed with the weapon which was destined to destroy…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *hostipotis ‘host’

hostage, hostel, hostess, hotelier, 8 more

through Latin hospes ‘host" or "guest’

hotel, host, hospitality, hospitable, hospitalist, 12 more

Today it means

noun One who kills his guest or host.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hospiticide”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin hospiticida. 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 *gʰóstipotis / hospiticide

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