Etymology

criminate

C3R1I1M3I1N1A1T1E1

Today it means: To accuse (someone) of a crime; to incriminate. Full definition →

First used 17th c.Latin crīminātus
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromcrīminātus
  2. English todaycriminate

First attested circa 1591; borrowed from Latin crīminātus, perfect passive participle of crīminō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. To accuse (someone) of a crime; to incriminate.
  • from 17th c. To rebuke or censure (someone).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.