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Definition: Suicide |
SuicideNoun1. The act of killing yourself. 2. A person who kills himself intentionally. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "suicide" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
Etymology: Suicide \Su"i*cide\, noun. [Latin expression sui of one's self (akin to suus one's own) caedere to slay, to kill. Compare to So, adverb, Homicide.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Dream Interpretation | To commit suicide in a dream, foretells that misfortune will hang heavily over you. To see or hear others committing this deed, foretells that the failure of others will affect your interests. For a young woman to dream that her lover commits suicide, her disappointment by the faithlessness of her lover is accentuated. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Medicine | The act of killing oneself; the individual who had voluntarily and deliberately taken his own life. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Suicide (from latin sui caedere, self killing) is the act of ending one's own life. It is considered a sin in many religions, and a crime in some jurisdictions. On the other hand, some cultures have viewed it as an honorable way to exit certain shameful or hopeless situations.
Note: If you are feeling suicidal or in despair, there is a list of support groups at the bottom of this page, or use a search engine to look for "suicide prevention". See also Clinical depression.
To be considered suicide, the death must be a central component and intention of the act and not just an almost certain consequence; hence, suicide bombing is considered a kind of bombing rather than a kind of suicide, and martyrdom, self sacrifice in the service of others in emergencies and reckless bravery in battle usually escape religious or legal proscription. In the case that suicide has legal consequences this is reflected in law in that there must be proof of intent as well as death for the act to be suicide.
Epidemiology
It is probable that the incidence of suicide is widely under-reported due to both religious and social pressures, possibly by as much as 100% in some areas. Nevertheless, from the known suicides certain trends are apparent. But since the data are skewed, attempts to compare nation to nation are statistically unwise.
Generally there are more male suicides than female. Men also tend to use more violent and certain methods than women (such as using guns as opposed to taking pills). However in the developed world both sexes are approaching parity. In relation to age, male suicide is an n-shaped curve with the peak at ages 50 to 60. For both sexes suicide is an event for older individuals.
Certain time trends can be related to the type of death. In the United Kingdom for example, the steady rise in suicides from 1945 to 1965 was curtailed following the removal of carbon monoxide from domestic natural gas. It seems that different cultures have different favorite methods, and the easy availability of lethal methods plays a role. Certainly cultures influence suicide rates.
Higher levels of social and national cohesion reduce suicide rates. Suicide levels are highest among the retired, unemployed, divorced, the childless, urbanites, and those living alone. The rate also rises during times of economic uncertainty (although poverty is not a direct cause), while the threat of widespread war is always associated with a steep fall in suicides, even in neutral countries. The majority of suicides also suffer from some psychological disorder. Depression in bipolar disorder is an especially common cause. Severe physical disease or infirmity are also recognized causes. There is no "class" distinction to suicide.
On an individual level the meaning of suicide varies across a range of common themes. Simply seeking an end is uncommon. Stated reasons include concepts such as a reunion with the dead (bereavement is a additional factor in some suicides), a need for change from an unbearable situation, or a desire to cause pain through causing remorse or grief. Multiple motives are common.
Suicide rates are influenced by publicity about suicide of famous people, and even the fictional suicide of a character in a popular drama can raise the suicide rate temporarily.
Group Rates
Suicide rates can vary significantly between different national, ethnic, or racial groups. Japan saw its nation-wide suicide total increase from 21,346 in 1990 to 32,143 in 2002 [1]. This larger than 50% jump is attributed to economic stagnation, and has led to a per-capita rate (25.2 suicides per 100,000 people) of twice that of the United States.
Within the United States, the suicide rate among African Americans has jumped by 114% since 1980 [1], bringing it in-line for the first time with the rate among American whites. This surge, ironically, has occurred at a time of growing economic affluence among American blacks.
Parasuicide
Nearly half of suicides are preceded by an attempt at suicide that does not end in death. Those with a history of such attempts are 100 times more likely to eventually end their own lives.
A suicidal act that does not end in death is usually called a "suicide attempt" or a "suicidal gesture". Some people prefer the use of the neologism parasuicide, or describe such acts as "deliberate self-harm" - both of these terms avoid the question of the intent of the action. The epidemiology of parasuicides is quite different from that of successful suicides. There are many more parasuicides than suicides. The vast majority are female and aged under 35. They are rarely physically ill and while psychological factors are highly significant, they are rarely clinically ill and severe depression is uncommon. Social issues are key -- parasuicides are most common among those living in overcrowded conditions, in conflict with their families, with disrupted childhoods and history of drinking, criminal behavior and violence. Individuals under these stresses become anxious and depressed and then, usually in reaction to a single particular crisis, they parasuicide. The motivation may be a desire for relief from emotional pain or to communicate feelings, although the motivation will often be complex and confused. Parasuicide may also result from an inner conflict between the desire to end life and to continue living.
Suicide in history
Among the famous people who have committed suicide are Boudicca, Cleopatra VII of Egypt, Hannibal, Nero, Adolf Hitler, Ernest Hemingway, Alan Turing, Sylvia Plath, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Vincent van Gogh.
In ancient times, suicide was sometimes committed after defeat in battle to avoid capture and possible subsequent torture, mutilation, or enslavement by the enemy. The Caesarian assassins Brutus and Cassius, for example, committed suicide after their defeat at the battle of Philippi. Insurgent Jews committed mass suicide at Masada in 74 AD rather than face enslavement by the Romans.
In Roman society, suicide was an accepted means by which honor could be preserved. Those charged with capital crimes, for example, could prevent confiscation of their family's estate by taking their own lives before being convicted in court. It was sardonically said of the emperor Domitian that his way of showing mercy was to allow a condemned man to take his own life.
In the late 18th century, Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, ("The Sorrows of Young Werther"), the romantic story of a young man who commits suicide because his love proves unattainable, caused a wave of suicides in Germany.
Emile Durkheim, the founder of sociology, wrote a very famous study of suicide in the late 1800s.
During World War II, Japanese units would often fight to the last man rather than surrender. Towards the end of the war, the Japanese navy sent kamikaze pilots to attack Allied ships. These tactics reflect the influence of the samurai warrior culture, where seppuku was often required after a loss of honor. It is also suggested that the Japanese treated Allied POWs harshly because, by surrendering rather than fighting to the last man, these soldiers showed they were not worthy of honorable treatment in Japanese eyes.
Albert Camus saw the goal of existentialism in establishing whether suicide was necessary in a world without God.
A study of suicide in literature was written by the poet Al Alvarez, entitled The Savage God.
Jean Améry, in his book On Suicide: a Discourse on Voluntary Death (originally published in German in 1976), provides a moving insight into the suicidal's mind. He argues forcefully and almost romantically that suicide represents the ultimate freedom of humanity, attempting to justify the act with phrases such as "we only arrive at ourselves in a freely chosen death", lamenting the "ridiculously everyday life and its alienation". He committed suicide in 1978.
Legal views of suicide
Ironically, the punishment for attempted suicide in some jurisdictions has been death. Although a person who has successfully committed suicide might be thought to be beyond the reach of the law, there could still be legal consequences. For example, in the UK prior to 1961 their estate was forfeit.
The United Kingdom abolished the crimes of suicide and attempted suicide in the suicide act of 1961. By the early 1990s only two USA states still listed suicide as a crime.
In many jurisdictions there are still laws against assisted suicide: helping someone to commit suicide, directly or indirectly.
Religious views of suicide
Buddhism
According to Buddhism, our past heavily influences our present. Furthermore, what an individual does in the present moment influences his or her future, in this life or the next. This is cause and effect, as taught by Gautama Buddha. Otherwise known as karma, intentional action by mind, body or speech has a reaction and its repercussion is the reason behind the conditions and differences we come across in the world.
One's suffering primarily originates from past negative deeds or just from being in samsara (the cycle of birth and death). Another reason for the prevalent suffering we experience is due to impermanence. Since everything is in a constant state of flux, we experience unsatisfactoriness with the fleeting events of life. To break out of samsara, one simply must realize their true nature, by Enlightenment in the present moment; this is Nirvana.
For Buddhists, since the first precept is to refrain from the destruction of life (including oneself), suicide is clearly considered a negative form of action. But despite this view, an ancient Asian ideology similar to seppuku (hara-kiri) persists to influence Buddhists by, when under oppression, committing the act of "honorable" suicide. In modern times, Tibetan monks have used this ideal in order to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet and Chinas supposed human rights violations against Tibetans.
Christianity
Christianity is traditionally opposed to suicide, and assisted suicide.
In Catholicism specifically, suicide has been considered a grave and sometimes mortal sin. The chief Catholic argument is that one's life is the property of God, and that to destroy one's own life is to wrongly assert dominion over what is God's. This argument runs into a famous counter-argument by David Hume, who noted that if it is wrong to take life when a person would naturally live, it must be wrong to save life when a person would naturally die, as this too seems to be contravening God's will.
On a different line, many Christians believe in the sanctity of human life, a principle which, broadly speaking, says that all human life is sacred -- a wonderful, even miraculous creation of the divine God -- and every effort must be made to save and preserve it whenever possible.
Nevertheless, even while believing that suicide is generally wrong, liberal Christians may well recognise that people who commit suicide are severely distressed and so believe that the loving God of Christianity can forgive such an act.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, murdering one's own body is considered equally sinful as murdering another. However, under various circumstances it is considered acceptable to end one's life by fasting. This practice, known as prayopavesha, requires so much time and willpower that there is no danger of acting on an impulse. It also allows time for the individual to settle all worldly affairs, to ponder life and to draw close to God.
Interestingly, this behavior is also observed in animals.
Islam
Like other Abrahamic religions, Islam views suicide strictly as sinful and detrimental to ones spiritual journey. However, human beings are said to be liable to committing mistakes, thus, Allah (God) forgives the sins and wipes them out if the individual is truly sincere in repentance, true to the causes and determined in intention.
For those who believed, but eventually disbelieved in God in the end, the result seems unambiguously negative. In the Qur'an, the holy book for Muslims, although Allah (God) is said to be 'the Most Merciful, the Most Kind' and forgives all sins, the great sin of unbelief is deemed unforgivable. According to the Sunnah (life and way of the Prophet Muhammad), any person who commits suicide and shows no regret for one's wrongdoing will spend an eternity in hell, re-enacting the act by which they took their own lives. Some Islamic jurists hold the interpretation that hell is not eternal but indefinite and only remains to exist while the earth endures at its present state. Once the Day of Recompense passes, Hell will eventually be emptied.
Despite this, there is an unpopular view that actions committed in the course of jihad resulting in one's own death are not considered suicide, even if by the nature of the act death is assured (e.g. suicide bombing). Such acts are instead considered a form of martyrdom. However, there is Quranic evidence to the contrary stating those involved in the killing of the innocent are wrongdoers and transgressors. Nevertheless, many claim Islam does permit the use of suicide only against the unjust and oppressors if one feels there is absolutely no other option available and life otherwise would end in death.
Judaism
Judaism views suicide as one of the most serious of sins. Suicide has always been forbidden by Jewish law, except for three specific cases. If one is being forced by someone to commit murder, forced to commit an act of idolatry, or forced to commit adultery or incest, then in those cases alone would suicide be permissible. However, outside those cases, suicide is forbidden, and this includes taking part of assisted suicide. One may not ask someone to assist in killing themselves for two separate reasons: (a) killing oneself is forbidden, and (b) one is then making someone else accomplice to a sin.
The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, the body of scholars of Jewish law in Conservative Judaism, has published a teshuva on suicide and assisted suicide in the summer 1998 issue of "Conservative Judaism" Vol. L, No.4. It affirms the above stated prohibition, and then goes on to its real purpose -- to counter the growing trend of Americans and Europeans who are asking their friends and family to help kill themselves. As the Conservative teshuva points out, many people get sick, often with terminal illnesses, but most people don't try to commit suicide. So we are obligated to find out why some people do ask for suicide, and we are then obligated to remove these reasons so that people don't want to kill themselves in the first place.
The Conservative responsa states that:
The paper discusses the fact that some patients want to die because they are in pain, but they point out that the proper response to this is not suicide, but simply better pain control and more pain medication. The paper then points out that there is crisis in medical care of elderly and terminally ill patients: Many doctors are deliberately keeping such patients in pain by refusing to grant them adequete amounts of pain killers. Some do this out of ignorance, others do it because they claim they want to avoid any possibility of the patient becoming a drug addict. Some doctors recommend a stoic attitude. The position of Conservative Judaism holds that all such forms of reasoning are "bizarre" and cruel. With today's medications, there is no reason for people to be in this kind of perpetual torture.
- "...those who commit suicide and those who aid others in doing so act out of a plethora of motives. Some of these reasons are less than noble, involving, for example, children's desires to see Mom or Dad die with dispatch so as not to squander their inheritance on 'futile' health care, or the desire of insurance companies to spend as little money as possible on the terminally ill."
It then investigates the psychological reasons for the hopelessness felt by some patients. It points out that:
- "Physicians or others asked to assist in dying should recognize that people contemplating suicide are often alone, without anyone taking an interest in their continued living. Rather than assist the patient in dying, the proper response to such circumstances is to provide the patient with a group of people who clearly and repeatedly reaffirm their interest in the patient's continued life... Requests to die, then, must be evaluated in the terms of degree of social support the patient has, for such requests are often withdrawn as soon as someone shows an interest in the patient staying alive. In this age of individualism and broken and scattered families, and in the antiseptic environment of hospitals where dying people usually find themselves, the mitzvah of visiting the sick (bikkur Holim) becomes all the more crucial in sustaining the will to live"
The Pro-Choice Argument
In contrast to the views above, there are also arguments in favour of allowing an individual to choose between life and suicide. This view sees suicide as a valid option.
This line rejects the widespread belief that suicide is always or usually irrational, saying instead that it is a genuine, albeit severe, solution to real problems -- a line of last resort that can legitimately be taken when the alternative is considered worse.
Furthermore, the Pro-Choice position asserts, in the spirit of liberalism, that a person's life belongs only to him or her, and nobody else should try to enforce their own view that life must be lived on them. Rather, only the individual involved can make such an important decision, and whatever decision he or she does make, it should be respected.
See also: euthanasia, seppuku (hara-kiri), kamikaze, suicide bombing, list of famous suicides, cult suicide, copycat, self-harm
External links
Support groups:
Other links:
- The Samaritans (UK)
- Befrienders International
- Google directory category: support groups for those who are suicidal or in despair
- Jumpers: The fatal grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge. (The New Yorker)
- The Debate: a pro-choice FAQ
For the rock band named Suicide, see Suicide (band).
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Suicide."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Suicide is a 1970s and 80s punk/post punk duo, composed of Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (synthesizers and drum machines). They emerged from the early punk scene in New York City with a reputation for ferocious and controversial live shows that occasionally led to riots and violence. Working with Ric Ocasek (of the Cars), Suicide's image quickly became more famous than their music, though a series of albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s are regarded as some of the most influential post punk recordings and helped shape the direction of indie rock, industrial music and dance music. Among others, Soft Cell and R.E.M have listed Suicide as one of their influences.Suicide in their turn have their influences as well, notably Iggy Pop. Alan Vega's style of vocals is also obviously influenced by Elvis Presley and rockabilly.
Suicide attempted a comeback in 2002 with American Supreme, though sales were slow and critical reception was mixed.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Suicide (band)."
Synonyms: SuicideSynonyms: felo-de-se (n), self-annihilation (n), self-destruction (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Killing | Suicide, felo de se, hara-kiri, suttee, Juggernath; immolation, auto da fe, holocaust. |
Die a violent death, welter in one's blood; dash out one's brains, blow out one's brains; commit suicide; kill oneself, make away with oneself, put an end to oneself, put an end to it all. | |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | It won't look like a suicide if you shoot me from over there (Tomorrow Never Dies; writing credit: Bruce Feirstein) I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide! (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones; writing credit: George Lucas) I'm committing suicide! (Hook; writing credit: J.M. Barrie;) You know, you, uh, oughta take a look at the statistics on suicide some time (Double Indemnity; writing credit: James M. Cain; Billy Wilder) Oh, because it's suicide. (A Bug's Life; writing credit: John Lasseter; Andrew Stanton) | |
Lyrics | Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside (Hook; performing artist: Blues Traveler) You say true love, it’s suicide (I'll Be There For You; performing artist: Bon Jovi) At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines ("Born to Run"; performing artist: Bruce Springsteen) Base line, the suicide squeeze is on (Paradise By The Dashboard Light; performing artist: Meat Loaf) Thought of suicide (Youth Of The Nation; performing artist: P.O.D.) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Trap of Suicide Kilometer (1964) Suicide Battalion (1958) Race Suicide (1937) Suicide Squad (1936) Moral Suicide (1918) | |
Song Titles | Suicide Is Painless (M*A*S*H) (performing artist: Johnny Mandel) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Line graph showing rate of suicide among adults aged 65 years and older, by sex--United States, 1990-1996. Credit: CDC. |  | Bar graph showing rate of suicide among adults aged 65 years and older, by race/ethnicity--United States, 1990-1996. Credit: CDC. |
 | Village of Attu on Attu Island. Attu was one of two Aleutian islands captured by Japanese forces during the Second World War. A tragedy occurred here as the Weather Bureau observer and his wife attempted suicide during the Japanese invasion. The observer succeeded but his wife survived and was incarcerated for the duration of the war. F&WS B-50338. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | [Woman committing suicide by jumping off of a bridge] / [George Cruikshank]. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | [Caricature of a man about to commit suicide by pounding a nail into his head] / A. Paul Weber. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | Sinking in Ulithi anchorage after she was hit by a Japanese suicide torpedo, 20 November 1944. Photographed from USS Ajax (AR-6). Credit: NAVY. |
 | Is hit by a "Kamikaze" suicide plane in the evening of 29 November 1944, while operating off Leyte. Credit: NAVY. |  | Suicide! he repeated, this is terrible. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | The suicide, a poorly dressed laborer, had staggered around in a circle nearly ten feet in diameter after gashing his own throat. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Trying to commit political suicide!. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |
| "Istiklal Avenue 1" by William J. Ray Commentary: "Taken just two blocks away from the British Consulate another target for suicide bombers in Nov. of 2003 in Istanbul." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Author | Quotation |
Arnold Toynbee | Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder. |
John Adams | Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | A nation never fails but by suicide. |
| The religion that is afraid of science dishonors God and commits suicide. | |
| Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society. | |
Robert Louis Stevenson | Once you are married, there is nothing for you, not even suicide, but to be good. |
Samuel Langhorne Clemens | Of the demonstrably wise there are but two: those who commit suicide, and those who keep their reasoning faculties atrophied with drink. |
Thomas Henry Huxley | Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed. |
William James | Suicide was naturally the consistent course dictated by the logical intellect. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Not a man flinched from the suicide. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | They can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, or suicide. (references) | |
People with epilepsy have an increased risk of poor self-esteem, depression, and suicide. (references) | ||
Study the basis for differential occurrence of depression and suicide rates in demographic subgroups. (references) | ||
Business | In 1998, the top ten causes of death were cancer, strokes, accidents, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, pneumonia, nephritis, hypertensive disease and suicide. (references) | |
Children | Brazil | Of all deaths of 15- to 19-year-olds, 72 percent are due to causes such as homicide, suicide, and traffic accidents, which reduces by at least 3 years the average life expectancy of men. (references) |
Russia | One study conducted by the Rights of the Child program of the Moscow Research Center for Human Rights found that on graduation at the age of 18 from a state institution for the lightly retarded, 30 percent of orphans became vagrants, 10 percent became involved in crime, and 10 percent committed suicide. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | China | In August, four persons who organized the self-immolations were sentenced to prison terms from 7 years to life for assisting in the suicide attempts. (references) |
Economic History | Sri Lanka | In June 2000, the LTTE assassinated the Industrial Development Minister by suicide bombing. (references) |
Palau | Palau's third president, Lazurus Salii, committed suicide in September 1988 amidst bribery allegations. (references) | |
Chile | A military coup overthrew Allende on September 11, 1973. As the armed Forces bombarded the presidential palace, Allende reportedly committed suicide. (references) | |
Human Rights | Peru | The air force claims that Aliaga committed suicide. (references) |
Bahamas | Two prisoners committed suicide at Fox Hill during the year. (references) | |
Israel and the occupied territories | PA security officials asserted that he had committed suicide. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Angola | Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports that some members of indigenous groups committed suicide upon loss of their wealth or property. (references) |
Canada | Aboriginal persons remain underrepresented in the work force, overrepresented on welfare rolls and in prison populations, and more susceptible to suicide and poverty than other population groups. (references) | |
Political Economy | Kuwait | Dozens of domestic servants reportedly committed or attempted to commit suicide during the year because of desperation over poor working conditions. (references) |
Political Rights | Sri Lanka | Violence also plagued the 1999 presidential elections; several persons died and many more were injured, including the President and the Justice Minister, in an LTTE suicide bomb attack. (references) |
Travel | Sri Lanka | In addition to individual suicide bombers, vehicle-mounted bombs have been used by the LTTE. (references) |
Sri Lanka | In March 1999, a suicide bomber killed four people in an attempted assassination in a suburb of Colombo. (references) | |
Women | China | A high female suicide rate is a serious problem. (references) |
Uzbekistan | In parts of the country, some women and girls resort to suicide by self-immolation. (references) | |
Nepal | SAATHI's assistance program includes a women's shelter and a suicide intervention center. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Romania | The sentence for trafficking that leads to the death or suicide of the victim is 5 to 25 years. (references) |
India | In April in West Bengal remand home for destitute women, two girls attempted suicide following sexual torture by another inmate. (references) | |
United Arab Emirates | In February a housemaid attempted to commit suicide because of abuse received from her employer of about 2 months, including beatings and confinement to a room for 8 days without proper food or bathroom facilities. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | ITCH, n. The patriotism of a Scotchman. J J is a consonant in English, but some nations use it as a vowel -- than which nothing could be more absurd. Its original form, which has been but slightly modified, was that of the tail of a subdued dog, and it was not a letter but a character, standing for a Latin verb, jacere, "to throw," because when a stone is thrown at a dog the dog's tail assumes that shape. This is the origin of the letter, as expounded by the renowned Dr. Jocolpus Bumer, of the University of Belgrade, who established his conclusions on the subject in a work of three quarto volumes and committed suicide on being reminded that the j in the Roman alphabet had originally no curl. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Art Linkletter | So losing two out of five. Suicide from having been given LSD and a son in an automobile accident. So I have had tragedies. |
Dan Rather | In Jerusalem tonight, right at the dividing line between the Israeli west and the mostly Arab east Jerusalem, yet another suicide bombing. We had driven by only minutes before the bomb went off. |
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres | It's very important, and it's very important they will cut it. They say they give it to the families of the suicide bombers that were killed. |
James Van Praagh | I'll tell you, he's telling me to tell Michael about a suicide. He'll know who he is, this man is, because he went to school with him. Now it's all coming in. |
Mariel Hemingway | I don't know if it officially was. That's how they announced it in the press, and I think it made a better story that way, and I think that's why it was done that way. But she absolutely did not commit suicide. |
Robert Novak | Mr. Speaker, this week we've seen further violence in the Middle East, Palestinian terrorists, suicide bombers, as well as the Israeli tanks moving in further and occupying the West Bank. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Our enemies send other people's children on missions of suicide and murder. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Suicide" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 97.28% of the time. "Suicide" is used about 1,651 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 97.28% | 1,606 | 5,168 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 1.88% | 31 | 62,296 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.42% | 7 | 133,076 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 0.36% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Noun (common) | 0.06% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,651 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "suicide": aiding suicide ♦ assisted suicide ♦ attempt to suicide ♦ attempted suicide ♦ commit suicide ♦ commit suicide by gas ♦ complicity in suicide ♦ incitement to commit or assistance with suicide ♦ race suicide ♦ suicide bid ♦ suicide carrier ♦ suicide clause ♦ suicide pact ♦ suicide pill ♦ suicide rate ♦ suicide squeeze ♦ suicide squeeze play ♦ try to commit suicide. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "suicide": suicide-ode, suicide-pact, suicide-proof. | |
Ending with "suicide": ex-suicide, love-suicide. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
suicide | 5,894 | suicide help | 111 |
commit suicide | 958 | suicide photo | 109 |
suicide girl | 850 | survivor suicide | 100 |
suicide poem | 621 | depression suicide | 96 |
teen suicide | 535 | suicide story | 85 |
suicide machine | 476 | site suicide web | 84 |
suicide picture | 363 | suicide hotline | 84 |
virgin suicide | 286 | jag star suicide | 82 |
suicide prevention | 246 | committing suicide | 81 |
jag suicide | 217 | lyrics machine suicide | 78 |
teenage suicide | 175 | cobain kurt note suicide | 75 |
painless suicide | 165 | pro suicide | 73 |
suicide note | 153 | suicide rate | 72 |
suicide poetry | 146 | letter suicide | 69 |
ways commit suicide | 143 | suicide king | 69 |
suicide bomber | 134 | suicide pic | 66 |
quote suicide | 131 | song suicide | 64 |
door suicide | 126 | cobains kurt note suicide | 63 |
suicide statistics | 118 | site suicide | 60 |
choice pro suicide | 113 | chat suicide | 57 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "suicide"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | vetëvrasje (self-violence), vetëvrasës. (various references) | |
Arabic | محاول الإنتحار, المنتحر, إنتحار (self-murder), إنتحر (commit suicide, destroy oneself, do away with, make away with oneself, take one's own life). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | самоубивам се (take one's own life), самоубийство (self-destruction, self-violence), самоубиец. (various references) | |
Chinese | 自杀 (Self-murder). (various references) | |
Czech | sebevražda (self-slaughter). (various references) | |
Danish | suicidium, selvmord. (various references) | |
Dutch | zelfdoding. (various references) | |
Esperanto | mortigi sin (commit suicide, kill oneself). (various references) | |
Farsi | وابسته به خودکشی , خودکشی کردن , خودکشی , انتحار. (various references) | |
Finnish | itsemurhaaja, itsemurha. (various references) | |
French | suicide. (various references) | |
German | Selbstmord, Freitod, Suizid, Sebstmord. (various references) | |
Greek | αυτοκτονία. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מתאבד, אבוד לדעת (felo-de-se), התאבדות (felo-de-se). (various references) | |
Hungarian | öngyilkosság (happy dispatch, rash act, self-destruction, self-violence), öngyilkos (self-destroyer, suicidal). (various references) | |
Indonesian | bunuh diri. (various references) | |
Italian | suicidio. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 自殺 , 自殺 , 自決 (resignation, self-determination), 自尽 , 自害 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | じがい, じさつ, じけつ (resignation, self-determination), じじん (contemporaries, suicide by the sword). (various references) | |
Korean | 자살. (various references) | |
Manx | hene-varrooder, hene-varroo, dunverys hene, dunver hene. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | uicidesay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | suicidio, suicídio (self-destruction, self-murder). (various references) | |
Romanian | sinucigaş (self-murderer), sinucidere (rash act, self-murder), se suicide. (various references) | |
Russian | самоубийство (self-destruction, self-murder, self-violence). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | suicid, samoubistvo. (various references) | |
Spanish | suicidio (self-destruction). (various references) | |
Swedish | självmord (self-destruction, self-effacement, self-humiliation), självmördare. (various references) | |
Thai | การฆ่าตัวตาย, ฆ่าตัวตาย (Dutch act, Dutch cure). (various references) | |
Turkish | intiharla ilgili, intihar eden kimse, intihar (autocide, selfdestruction). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | учинити самогубство, самогубство, самогубець, провал планів. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | sự tự vẫn hành động tự sát người tự tử, sự tự tử. (various references) | |
Welsh | hunanladdiad (self-murder). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | sui. (various references) |
| Modern Latin | 1500-Modern | suicidium. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "suicide": suicided, suicides. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "suicide": antisuicide. (additional references) | |
| |
"Suicide" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: seyyids, Shishido, Sociadad, soicide, sucede, sucide, sueacide, sueecide, sueicide, suicde, suicid, suicidee, suicidle, suicied, suicuide, suiside, suitcide, suivie. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "suicide" (pronounced suw"usī'd) |
| 4 | -u s ī' d | fratricide, fungicide, genocide, germicide, glucoside, glycoside, herbicide, homicide, infanticide, insecticide, pesticide, prophesied. |
| 3 | -s ī' d | backside, bedside, blindside, broadside, countryside, curbside, dioxide, Ironside, lakeside, dockside, downside, fireside, graveside, harborside, hillside, mountainside, oxide, peroxide, poolside, ringside, riverside, roadside, seaside, silverside, superoxide, underside, wayside. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-d-e-i-i-s-u" | |
-2 letters: cedis, dices, disci, duces, scudi. | |
-3 letters: cedi, cuds, cued, cues, dice, dies, disc, duce, duci, dues, ecus, iced, ices, ides, scud, sice, side, sued, used. | |
-4 letters: cis, cud, cue, die, dis, due, dui, ecu, eds, ice, ids, sec, sei, sic, sue, use. | |
-5 letters: de, ed, es, id, is, si, us. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-d-e-i-i-s-u" | |
+1 letter: diecious, suicided, suicides. | |
+2 letters: crudities, cutinised, delicious, dioecious, diuretics, dulcifies, pulicides, ridicules, virucides. | |
+3 letters: audacities, caducities, cupidities, discursive, echiuroids, fungicides, lucidities, mucidities, pedicurist, publicised, ridiculers, solicitude, subindices, uxoricides. | |
+4 letters: antisuicide, circumcised, credulities, declivitous, deliciously, discontinue, discussible, disjunctive, ductilities, duplicities, fecundities, feudalistic, fiduciaries, jocundities, judiciaries, leucocidins, mediumistic, misguidance, musicalised, musicalized, pediculosis, pedicurists, scrutinised, scrutinized, securitized, solicitudes, subdecision, suspicioned, unsolicited, unspecified, vicissitude. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Quotations: Spoken | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Expressions 16. Expressions: Internet | 17. Translations: Modern 18. Translations: Ancient 19. Derivations 20. Rhymes | 21. Anagrams 22. Bibliography |
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