Etymology of the English word criminal
the English word
criminalderived from the Old French word
criminelderived from the Latin word
criminalis (criminal; of, pertaining to crime)
derived from the Latin word
crimen (indictment, charge, accusation; sin, guilt; crime)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
cernere (sift, separate, distinguish)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*krei-Date
The earliest known usage of criminal in English dates from the 15th century.
Derivations in English
criminalist,
criminalize,
criminogenic,
decriminalizeCognates
Dutch
crimineel, German
kriminell, Norwegian
kriminell, Swedish
kriminellUsage
Word found in Modern English
