criterial

The word 'criterial' is a modern English formation built upon the noun 'criterion'. Its ultimate origin lies in the Ancient Greek verb krinein, meaning "to separate, decide, or judge." From this verb came kritēr, meaning "a judge" or "a means for judging," which passed into Latin as criterion and then into English. The adjectival suffix '-ial', of Latin origin, is then appended to the stem 'criter-' to create an adjective meaning "pertaining to a standard for judgment." Thus, the literal construction "relating to a means for judging" logically evolves into the modern abstract sense of constituting or involving a standard by which something is evaluated.

Structure: criter (judge, decide) + ial (adjective-forming suffix) - criter: From Greek kritēr (a judge, a means for judging), from krinein (to decide, to judge). - ial: A suffix of Latin origin (-ialis) used to form adjectives meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by."