English
criticize
Criticize comes from Ancient Greek κριτικός ‘of or for judging, able to discern’, from κρίσις ‘decision, judgement’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kri-n-yé-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νω‘to decide’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρίσιςkrísis‘decision, judgement’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτικόςkritikós‘of or for judging, able to discern’
- Englishearliest quotation 1988criticize
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kri-n-yé-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νω‘to decide’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρίσιςkrísis‘decision, judgement’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτικόςkritikós‘of or for judging, able to discern’
- Englishearliest quotation 1988criticize
Earliest quotation: 1988, Elizabeth Pincus, 1978 Revisited: “Homophobia is based on criticizing any sexual expression outside…”
Formed from critic + -ize
Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’
Ancient Greek κρίνω ‘to judge’
Ancient Greek κριτικός ‘of or for judging, able to discern’
Latin criticus ‘critical, decisive’
Middle French critique
English critic
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate’
certain, secretary, secret, crime, criminal, discrimination, discretion, discrete, discreet, discriminate, riddle, discern, criterion, endocrine, excrement, excretion, incriminate, rime, excrete, ridder, incrimination, recrimination, certitude, 48 more
through Ancient Greek κρῑ́νω ‘to decide’
through Ancient Greek κρίσις ‘decision, judgement’
Today it means
verb To find fault (with something).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / criticize