OpenEtymology

criticise

UKˈkrɪtɪsaɪzUSˈkrɪtɪsaɪz

Meaning

1v

to express disapproval of someone or something by pointing out their faults or mistakes.

2v

to form and give a judgment of the merits and faults of a work of literature, art, etc.

Structure

word structure
1
critic
judge
+
2
ise
verb-forming suffix

Usage

the reviewer proceeded to criticise the film for its lack of originality.

it is easy to criticise others, but harder to see our own mistakes.

his role is not just to praise but to constructively criticise the draft proposal.

Etymology

the word 'criticise' is built upon the core concept of judgment. its journey begins with the ancient greek 'krites', meaning a judge or one who discerns, which evolved into 'kritikos', an adjective describing the capacity for judgment. this entered latin as 'criticus', associated with literary criticism. the modern verb form was created in english by appending the productive suffix '-ise', which transforms nouns or adjectives into verbs meaning 'to make or do'. thus, the literal action of 'making a judgment' evolved from a general act of discernment to the specific modern meanings of evaluating faults or analyzing artistic works.

Analysis

Structure
critic (judge) + ise (verb-forming suffix)=criticjudge+iseverb-forming suffix

critic originates from latin 'criticus', meaning 'able to discern or judge', which came from greek 'kritikos', from 'krites' (judge). the suffix -ise is a verb-forming suffix of greek origin via latin and french, indicating 'to make, to act, to practice'.

Criticise Etymology, Origin & Meaning | wordDNA