criminality
UK[ˌkrɪmɪˈnæləti]US[ˌkrɪmɪˈnæləti]
n
the state or quality of being criminal; involvement in crime.
n
criminal acts or activities collectively.
Morpheme Breakdown
crimin
al
ity
crimin
crime
al
adjective suffix
ity
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'criminality' traces its lineage to the latin noun crimen, which originally referred to a judicial charge or verdict before narrowing to signify an offense. the addition of the latin adjectival suffix -alis created the base 'criminal', meaning "pertaining to crime". finally, the abstract noun-forming suffix -itas was appended, a prolific suffix in latin for deriving states or qualities, to produce the modern english term. thus, the literal construction "the state of being related to crime" evolved from concrete legal terminology into its current abstract meaning denoting the condition or prevalence of unlawful behavior.
Analysis
Structure: crimin (crime) + al (adjective suffix) + ity (noun suffix)
- crimin: from latin crimen, crimin- meaning "charge, indictment, offense". functions as the root noun base.
- al: from latin -alis, an adjective-forming suffix meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by".
- ity: from latin -itas, -itatem, a noun-forming suffix denoting a state, condition, or quality.
Examples
the study aimed to understand the social factors contributing to urban criminality.
the report highlighted a worrying rise in juvenile criminality.
his novels often explore the psychological roots of criminality.