Where does “crime” come from?
Crime derives from Middle English cryme, from Latin crimen, from Proto-Italic kreimen, from the Proto-Indo-European root krey-.
crime (English): A specific act committed in violation of the law;...
Definitions
- A specific act committed in violation of the law;...
Ancestry of “crime”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cryme | A criminal action or decision; that which is... |
| 2 | Old French | crime | — |
| 3 | Latin | crīmen | a judicial decision, verdict, or judgment |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kreimen | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kréymn̥ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |
Words derived from “crime”