Where does “war crime” come from?
war crime (English) comes from English crime, from Middle English cryme, from Old French crime, from Latin crīmen, from Proto-Italic kreimen, from Proto-Indo-European kréymn̥, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.
war crime (English): A punishable offence under international law for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian
Definitions
- A punishable offence under international law for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian
Ancestry of “war crime”, step by step
war crime traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English crime
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | crime | A specific act committed in violation of the law;... |
| 2 | Middle English | cryme | A criminal action or decision; that which is... |
| 3 | Old French | crime | — |
| 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 |
via English War
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | War | Preceded by [[the#Article |
| 2 | Middle English | werre | War in general; the practice of fighting between... |
| 3 | Old Norse | verri | comparative degree of illr, worse; worse |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wirsizô | comparative degree of *ubilaz; worse |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wers- | to wipe; peak, height |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |