What is "familicide"

n. 1 The murder of an entire family by a family member. 2 The murder of an entire family by a family member, followed by suicide. 3 The person who perpetrates a familicide.

A familicide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which at least one spouse and one or more children are killed, or in which a parent or parents and possibly other relatives such as siblings and grandparents are killed. In some cases all of the family members' lives are taken. If only the parents are killed, the case may also be referred to as a parricide. Where all members of a family are killed, including when the killing takes the form of a murder-suicide, the crime may be referred to as family annihilation.