NYT Dictionary

BIOCIDE

/ˈbaɪoʊsaɪd/
NounBIO-cidebio-cide · 2 syllablesAdvanced/Professional

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2022, 2023, 2025

Meaning

Any action or substance that can destroy living organisms.

Etymology

Origin: Latin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-der. Ancient Greek βῐ́ος (bĭ́os) Ancient Greek βῐο- (bĭo-)der. English bio- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *kh₂éydeti Proto-Italic *kaidō Latin caedō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -a Latin -cīdader. Middle French -cidebor. English -cide English biocide From bio- + -cide.

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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