Standard Lemma guide

ecocide

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈiːkəʊsaɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The complete destruction of an ecosystem due to human activities, such as due to exploitation of resources, nuclear warfare, or the dumping of harmful chemicals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: geocide

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From eco- + -cide. First used in 1969 by the American plant biologist Arthur Galston to refer to the willful destruction of the environment with Agent Orange.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: إِبَادَة بِيئِيَّة (ʔibāda bīʔiyya) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Belarusian: экацы́д (ekacýd) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Bulgarian: екоци́д (ekocíd) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Chinese Cantonese: 生態滅絕 /生态灭绝 (saang1 taai3 mit6 zyut6) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Chinese Mandarin: 生態滅絕 /生态灭绝 (shēngtài mièjué) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Chinese Mandarin: 生態滅絕罪 /生态灭绝罪 (shēngtài mièjué zuì) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Dutch: ecocide — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Estonian: ökotsiid — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Finnish: ympäristötuho — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Finnish: ekosidi — destruction of an ecosystem
  • French: écocide — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Georgian: ეკოციდი (eḳocidi) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • German: Ökozid — destruction of an ecosystem
  • German: Umweltzerstörung — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Icelandic: vistmorð — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Indonesian: ekosida — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Italian: ecocidio — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Japanese: エコサイド (ekosaido) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Korean: 에코사이드 (ekosaideu) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Latvian: ekocīds — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Lithuanian: ekocidas — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Macedonian: екоцид (ekocid) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Persian: بومکُشی (bum-koši) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Polish: ekobójstwo — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Portuguese: ecocídio — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Russian: экоци́д (ekocíd) — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Serbo-Croatian: е̏коцӣд — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȅkocīd — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Spanish: ecocidio — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Swedish: miljömord — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Swedish: ekocid — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Turkish: çevre tahribatı — destruction of an ecosystem
  • Ukrainian: екоци́д (ekocýd) — destruction of an ecosystem