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⇱ Recidivist - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

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Origin and history of recidivist

recidivist(n.)

"relapsed criminal," 1863, from French legal term récidiviste (by 1847), from récidiver "to fall back, relapse," from Medieval Latin recidivare "to relapse into sin," from Latin recidivus "falling back," from recidere "fall back," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + combining form of cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall"). As an adjective by 1883.

Entries linking to recidivist

"fall back; relapse, return to an abandoned course of conduct," 1610s (1520s as a past-participle adjective), from Medieval Latin recidivatus, past participle of recidivare "to relapse" (see recidivist). Marked as obsolete in OED 2nd edition (1989). Related: Recidivated; recidivating. Recidiving "relapsing into sin" is attested from c. 1500, from Old French recidiver and Medieval Latin recidivare.

"habit of relapsing" (into crime), 1882, from recidivist + -ism, modeled on French récidivisme, from récidiver. Recidivation as "a falling back, backsliding" in the spiritual sense is attested early 15c. (recidivacion), but OED has no examples after c. 1700. Recidivous "liable to backslide to a former condition or state" is a dictionary word from 1650s.

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c. 1300, "one who deceives or commits treason; one who is wicked or evil; evil-doer," used of Lucifer and Herod, from Old French felon "evil-doer, scoundrel, traitor, rebel, oath-breaker, the Devil" (9c.), from Medieval Latin fellonem (nominative fello) "evil-doer," which is of u

1640s, "a quick, pertinent, witty remark," from French repartie "an answering blow or thrust" (originally a fencing term), noun use of fem. past participle of Old French repartir "to reply promptly, start out again," from re- "back" (see re-) + partir "to divide, separate, set ou

mid-15c., malefactour, "a law-breaker, a criminal, a felon," from Latin malefactor, agent noun from past participle stem of malefacere "to do evil," from male "badly" (see mal-) + facere "to do, make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). From late 15c. in the now-obsolete sense o

Old English utlaga "one put outside the law" (and thereby deprived of its benefits and protections), from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse utlagi (n.) "outlaw," from utlagr (adj.) "outlawed, banished," from ut "out" (see out (adv.)) + *lagu, plural of lag "law" (see law).

mid-15c., "customary, belonging to one's inherent disposition," from Medieval Latin habitualis "pertaining to habit or dress," from Latin habitus "condition, appearance, dress," originally past participle of habere "to have, hold, possess; wear; find oneself, be situated; conside

"destructive to micro-organisms," 1894, from French antibiotique (c. 1889), from anti- "against" (see anti-) + biotique "of (microbial) life," from Late Latin bioticus "of life" (see biotic). As a noun, attested 1941 in works of U.S. microbiologist Selman Waksman (1888-1973), dis

1540s, of persons, "having or indicating great strength, muscular, vigorous," from French robuste (14c.) and directly from Latin robustus "strong and hardy," literally "as strong as oak," originally "oaken," from robur, robus "hard timber, strength," also "a special kind of oak,"

1530s, "examine by comparison;" 1540s (intransitive) "consult together on some special subject;" 1560s, "bestow as a gift or permanent possession," from Old French conférer (14c.) "to give; to converse; to compare," from Latin conferre "to bring together," figuratively "to compar

mid-14c., in classical mythology, "sea nymph who by her singing lures sailors to their destruction," from Old French sereine (12c., Modern French sirène) and directly from Latin Siren (Late Latin Sirena), from Greek Seiren ["Odyssey," xii.39 ff.], one of the Seirēnes, the mythica

c. 1200, pilegrim, "a person traveling to a holy place (as a penance or to discharge some vow or religious obligation, or seeking some miracle or spiritual benefit)," also "a traveler" generally, "a wayfarer," from Old French pelerin, peregrin "pilgrim, crusader; foreigner, stran

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Dictionary entries near recidivist

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