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"crime" in seven languages

Meaningcrime

Spanish

crimen

/ˈkɾimen/

masc.learned

Lesser offences are delitos; crimen is for grave ones.

French

crime

/kʁim/

masc.learned

Lesser offences are délits.

Italian

crimine

/ˈkrimine/

masc.learned

The legal term for an offence is reato.

Portuguese

crime

/ˈkɾimi/

masc.learned

Romanian

crimă

/ˈkrimə/

fem.borrowed · French crime

Trap: crimă usually means 'murder'; a crime in general is infracțiune.

Catalan

crim

/kɾim/

masc.learned

English

crime

/kɹaɪm/

from Latin/French · Old French crime

English → ItaliancrimecrimineCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CRĪMEN‘accusation, charge’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

In Latin CRĪMEN was the charge, not the deed. Spanish keeps the Latin -en, Italian rebuilt it on the stem crimin- (as in criminal), French cut it to crime.

English relatives: criminal, criminology, incriminate

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In a sentence

  • esEl asesinato es un crimen grave.
  • frLe meurtre est un crime grave.
  • itL'omicidio è un crimine grave.
  • ptO assassinato é um crime grave.
  • roOmorul este o crimă gravă.
  • caL'assassinat és un crim greu.
  • enMurder is a serious crime.

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