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Where does “critical” come from?

Critical derives from English -al (suffix) added to English aldehyde, which comes from Ancient Greek κρίνω, from Proto-Hellenic kríňňō, from Proto-Indo-European krinyéti, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European krey-.

critical (English): Inclined to find fault or criticize; Pertaining...

Definitions

  1. Inclined to find fault or criticize; Pertaining...

Ancestry of “critical”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ál—
2EnglishaldehydeAny of a large class of reactive organic...
3GermanAldehydaldehyde
4Latinalcoholkohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder...
5Andalusian Arabicكُحُول—
6Arabicكحلantimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the...
7Arabicكُحْلantimony; kohl, stibnite
8Akkadianguḫlum—

Words derived from “critical”

  • critically
  • uncritical
  • trite
  • uncritically
  • supercritical
  • criticality
  • hypercritical
  • subcritical
  • noncritical
  • triteness
  • ecocritical
  • metacritical
  • precritical
  • tritely
  • transcritical
  • acritical
  • criticalness
  • overcritical
  • postcritical
  • intercritical
  • pseudocritical
  • tricritical
  • neurocritical
  • ethnocritical
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