Where does “criticize” come from?
Criticize derives from English critic, via Middle French critique and Latin criticus from Ancient Greek κριτικός, an adjective meaning "able to judge," from the verb κρίνω meaning "to separate or decide," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European krey-.
criticize (English): To find fault (with something)
Definitions
- To find fault (with something)
Ancestry of “criticize”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | critic | A person who appraises the works of others; A... |
| 2 | Middle French | critique | — |
| 3 | Latin | criticus | critical, decisive; a critic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κριτικός | Able to judge, discerning, critical; critic,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κρίσις | decision, determination, judgment; trial,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κρίνω | To separate, divide, part, distinguish between... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | kríňňō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | krinyéti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |