Where does “criminy” come from?

criminy (English) comes from Italian crimine, from Latin crīmen, from Proto-Italic kreimen, from Proto-Indo-European kréymn̥, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

criminy (English): A minced oath that expresses surprise or...

Definitions

  1. A minced oath that expresses surprise or...

Ancestry of “criminy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiancriminecrime
2Latincrīmena judicial decision, verdict, or judgment
3Proto-Italickreimen—
4Proto-Indo-Europeankréymn̥—
5Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide

Words derived from “criminy”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kréymn̥ →Every word from Proto-Italic kreimen →