diff --git a/content/language/word-list/kill.md b/content/language/word-list/kill.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fa516e8 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/language/word-list/kill.md @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ +# Term: Kill (and derivatives, including *killed*) + +## Definition +The user- or process-initiated ending of a thread or process. + +## Recommendation +Strongly consider replacing. + +## Recommended Replacements +- end +- stop +- cancel +- close + +## Unsuitable Replacements +- terminate +- abort + +## Rationale +The word *kill* is undoubtedly violent, meeting the INI’s evaluation framework's [second-order concerns](https://inclusivenaming.org/word-lists/tier-2/). There is no need to use it in a light or technical context, as the implications of putting something to death are beyond the scope of such contexts. + +The replacement terms cover essentially every situation in which *kill* is used, and they don’t unnecessarily anthropomorphize technology as the original term does. + +However, we acknowledge that, particularly in UNIX-based contexts, the term is used too thoroughly to be replaced immediately. Therefore, we recommend replacement where possible to remove the violent, militaristic, and anthropomorphizing connotations.