Where does “criminal” come from?
Criminal comes from Middle English cryminal, from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Latin criminalis, an adjective formed with the suffix -alis from Latin crimen meaning accusation or charge.
criminal (English): Against the law; forbidden by law; Guilty of...
Definitions
- Against the law; forbidden by law; Guilty of...
Ancestry of “criminal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cryminal | Relating to crime or illegal actions; criminal;... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | criminal | criminal; illegal; against the law |
| 3 | Latin | crīminālis | criminal |
| 4 | Latin | crīmen | a judicial decision, verdict, or judgment |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kreimen | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kréymn̥ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |
Words derived from “criminal”
- criminology
- criminally
- criminalization
- criminological
- criminalize
- criminologist
- criminalisation
- criminogenic
- noncriminal
- decriminalization
- criminalise
- criminalist
- criminalistic
- overcriminalization
- biocriminology
- cybercriminal
- decriminalise
- criminologically
- archcriminal
- anticriminal
- quasicriminal
- recriminalization
- biocriminological
- recriminalize