Etymograph

English

critique

Critique comes from New Latin criticus ‘critical’, from Ancient Greek κριτικός ‘of or for judging, able to discern’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*krinyétireconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νωkrī́nō‘to separate, divide, part, distinguish between two things or people or among a group of…’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρῐτήςkrĭtḗs‘judge’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτικόςkritikós‘of or for judging, able to discern’
  7. New Latinc. 1500–1900criticus‘critical’
  8. New Latin, derivedc. 1500–1900criticafeminine of criticus
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentcritique
  10. Englishearliest quotation a. 1720same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*krinyétireconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νωkrī́nō‘to separate, divide, part, distinguish between two things or people or among a group of…’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρῐτήςkrĭtḗs‘judge’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτικόςkritikós‘of or for judging, able to discern’
  7. New Latinc. 1500–1900criticus‘critical’
  8. New Latin, derivedc. 1500–1900criticafeminine of criticus
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentcritique
  10. Englishearliest quotation a. 1720same form

Earliest quotation: a. 1720, Joseph Addison, Dialogue III. A Parallel between the Ancient and Modern Meda: “I ſhould as ſoon expect to ſee a Critique…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’

certain, secretary, secret, crime, criminal, crisis, 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 separate, divide, part, distinguish between…’

hypocrite, criterium, 9 more

Today it means

noun The art of criticism.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / critique

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