Collocate the noun "suicide" with the verb "to commit"

[Raygo]

This is my first post, please help me out!

I believe that in English, we must collocate the noun suicide with the verb to commit.

For example it is wrong to say:

Cato suicided.

or

Cato suicided himself.

We would have to say:

Cato committed suicide.

Another person disgarees however and feels that using the word suicide as a verb is OK.

I feel in my bones that I am right. Can any members here assist me in resolving this question.

[Mister Micawber]

You are right; that is the formal collocation. Nevertheless, 'suicide' does appear as a verb. You can see it in THIS DICTIONARY.
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[Raygo]

So are you saying that if a student wrote "Cato suicided" in an essay, you would find that an acceptable usage?

Can you give me some examples of how to use this word correctly?

[Mister Micawber]

There is no indication that the verb 'to suicide' is substandard in any way, so yes: it is acceptable in an essay.

Foxconn Compensates Family of Worker Who Suicided Over Missing iPhone.
Top Freddie Mac Official Suicided After $50 Billion Traced From US To Israel
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Raygo]

Thanks for your help. (I'm actually rather surprised in an unhappy way to find that usage acceptable, it seems so ugly and unnatural, and most people seem to feel that 'to commit' must collocate with 'suicide'. See link below.)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090720133249AADNNHj

[Mister Micawber]

1-- Personally, I do not care for it much either.
2-- One cannot hold back language with any kind of elitist attitude
3-- That site does not seem particularly professional.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Raygo]

Ok, point taken, thanks for your help.

[Renren]

What about in this sentence?

"Committing suicide is difficult because it takes much courage to do it. "

>> Will it be OK to remove 'committing' and leave 'suicide' alone as the subject?
Thanks!

[Mister Micawber]

Yes, that would work casually, but you would be better then to change 'do' to 'commit'.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Renren]

Ah, OK. Thanks, but could you tell me why? I am writing a paragraph and I am going to use 'commit' in my next sentence. As much as possible, I don't want to repeat the word 'commit'. What are the other words that I can use? Thanks again.

[Mister Micawber]

That is the collocation: 'to commit suicide'. If you don't wish to use 'commit' so often, then don't use 'suicide' so often. It is just like 'play baseball' - anything else ('do baseball', 'practice baseball') is not natural English.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Renren]

Thanks!