What term is used to describe the killing of one's entire family?

Familicide is the term used to describe the act of killing one's entire family. It specifically refers to the scenario in which a person, typically a family member, takes the lives of multiple relatives, often in a domestic setting. This term highlights the particular nature of the crime, focusing on the familial relationships among the victims. Familicide cases can involve parents killing their children or vice versa, and often these acts are motivated by complex psychological factors, including despair, mental illness, or a desire to eliminate perceived family burdens.

In contrast, genocide refers to the systematic extermination of an entire group of people based on ethnicity, nationality, or religion, which is a broader and more targeted act that goes beyond family units. Homicide is a general term for the unlawful killing of another person and does not specify the relationships among the individuals involved. Mass murder usually describes the act of killing multiple people in a single event, often in a public setting, but not necessarily indicating a family connection. Each of these other terms embodies different contexts and motivations that do not align with the specific definition of familicide.