a substance or preparation, esp. an insecticide, capable of killing egg cells
Derived forms
ovicidal
adjective
Word origin
[1925–30; ovi- + -cide]This word is first recorded in the period 1925–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: chain reaction, distinctive feature, gimmick, off-line, reflex camera-cide is a learned borrowing from Latin meaning “killer,” “act of killing,” used in theformation of compound words. Other words that use the affix -cide include: homicide, pesticide