criminalist

C3R1I1M3I1N1A1L1I1S1T1

noun

A person who specializes in criminal law.

OriginEnglish criminal ← Middle English cryminal ← Anglo-Norman crimina →
RareScrabble 15
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Meanings

nouncriminalist (plural criminalists)

plural criminalists

  1. A person who specializes in criminal law.
  2. USA person who specializes in the collection and examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*krey-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kréymn̥
  3. Proto-Italic*kreimən
  4. Latincrīmen
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Late Latincrimināli
  8. Anglo-Normancrimina
  9. Middle Englishcryminal
  10. Englishcriminal
  11. Englishcriminalist

From criminal + -ist.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan criminalista
  • criminalistaspecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
Esperanto kriminalisto
  • kriminalistospecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
Finnish rikostutkija
  • rikostutkijaspecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
French criminaliste
  • criminalistespecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
Italian criminalista
  • criminalistaspecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
Spanish criminalista
  • criminalistaspecialist in the examination of forensic evidence at a crime scene
Cite this entry
APA

criminalist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalist

MLA

“criminalist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalist. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “criminalist,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/criminalist.

Source: criminalist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.