'syphilicide' originates from Neo-Latin/modern coinage combining 'syphilis' (the disease name) and the suffix '-cide' from Latin 'caedere' meaning 'to kill'.

'syphilicide' was formed in English in medical usage (notably in the 19th century) by attaching the Latin-derived suffix '-cide' (used to form words meaning 'killer of' or 'act of killing') to 'syphilis' (a disease name coined in 1530 by Girolamo Fracastoro).

Initially and historically it has meant 'a substance or agent that kills syphilis' (i.e., a remedy or bactericidal treatment for syphilis); this specific medical sense has largely been retained, though the term is now rare.