Where does “critic” come from?
Critic comes from Middle French critique, from Latin criticus, from Ancient Greek κριτικός, derived from κρίνω meaning to judge or separate, tracing back through Proto-Hellenic kríňňō to Proto-Indo-European roots krey-.
critic (English): A person who appraises the works of others; A...
Definitions
- A person who appraises the works of others; A...
Ancestry of “critic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | critique | — |
| 2 | Latin | criticus | critical, decisive; a critic |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κριτικός | Able to judge, discerning, critical; critic,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κρίσις | decision, determination, judgment; trial,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κρίνω | To separate, divide, part, distinguish between... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | kríňňō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | krinyéti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |