English
criminality
Criminality comes from French criminalité ‘crime’, from Latin criminalis ‘criminal’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘sieve’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘sieve’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kréymn̥reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kreimənreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrīmen‘a crime, fault, offense’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcriminalis‘criminal’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcriminalitas
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcriminalité‘crime’
- Englishearliest quotation 1910criminality
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘sieve’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kréymn̥reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kreimənreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrīmen‘a crime, fault, offense’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcriminalis‘criminal’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcriminalitas
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcriminalité‘crime’
- Englishearliest quotation 1910criminality
Earliest quotation: 1910, Jack London, New York: “The storm-centre of a combined newspaper attack lasting for…”
Equivalent to criminal + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate’
…
Latin crimen ‘judgment, verdict; crime’
Late Latin criminalis
Anglo-Norman criminal
Middle English cryminal ‘relating to crime’
English criminal
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘sieve’
certain, secretary, secret, crisis, discretion, discrimination, critic, discrete, critique, discreet, riddle, discern, criterion, hypocrite, discriminate, excrement, endocrine, excretion, excrete, rime, ridder, certitude, incriminate, criterium, incrimination, 47 more
through Latin crīmen ‘a crime, fault, offense’
Today it means
noun The state of being criminal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / criminality