Androcide refers to the systematic killing of men, boys, or males in general.
It is a coordinate term of femicide and a hyponym of gendercide. The etymological root of the word is derive from a combination of the Greek prefix andro meaning man or boy, with the Latin suffix cide, meaning killing.
With regards to plants, androcide may refer to efforts to direct pollination through emasculating certain crops. In the proactive scenario of human societies, androcide may be a deliberate goal, perhaps with the goal of degrading the offensive capabilities of an adversary. In a more passive scenario androcide has been likened to misandry when society in general participate or permit the decimation of a significant proportion of men and boys during conscriptions for military service. In fruit flies an androcidal animosity towards males may be due to rivalry, a perception of a challenge to their dominance or a combination of the two. Some organizations that are critical of feminism as well as some publishers have argued that the targeting of men is a contemporary issue in war. Androcide has also been a feature of literature in ancient Greek mythology and in hypothetical situations wherein there is discord between the sexes.