recidivist
UK[rɪˈsɪd.ɪ.vɪst]US[rɪˈsɪd.ə.vɪst]
n
a person who repeatedly commits crimes and seems unable to stop, even after being punished.
n
a person who relapses into a previous undesirable mode of behavior, especially crime.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
cid
ivist
re
again
cid
fall
ivist
person who does
Etymology
The term 'recidivist' has a layered history rooted in the concept of falling back. Its core component, the latin verb cadere (to fall), evolved into the frequentative form recidere, meaning "to fall back, relapse". This verb passed into french as récidiver, from which english derived the noun. The modern spelling directly incorporates the latin prefix re- (again) and the root cid- (from cadere, to fall), followed by the agent suffix -ivist. Thus, a recidivist is, etymologically, "one who falls back again", a vivid metaphor for the relapse into criminal behavior.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + cid (fall) + ivist (person who does)
re: latin prefix meaning "again, back".
cid: from latin cidere, a variant of cadere meaning "to fall".
ivist: a compound suffix combining -ive (tending to) and -ist (person who does something), indicating a person characterized by a tendency.
Examples
the judge gave the repeat offender a harsh sentence, calling him a hardened recidivist.
the rehabilitation program aims to reduce the number of recidivists returning to prison.
despite numerous attempts at reform, he remained a recidivist, unable to break the cycle of theft.