Definition
The accidental killing or wounding of friendly forces by your own side's weapons—friendly fire's more clinical, guilt-inducing name. The worst possible outcome that turns victory into tragedy and generates mountains of investigation paperwork.
Example Usage
We had a fratricide incident when the air strike hit the wrong building—two killed, five wounded, all ours.
Origin
Latin 'fratricida' meaning brother-killer, adopted into military vocabulary
Fun Fact
Fratricide accounts for a disturbing percentage of combat casualties in modern warfare—roughly 15-20% in some conflicts—because identifying targets at long range is harder than movies suggest.
Source: Military incident investigation procedures and combat casualty analysis
Related Terms
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See “Fratricide” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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