recrimination
UK[rɪˌkrɪmɪˈneɪʃn]US[rɪˌkrɪmɪˈneɪʃn]
n
An accusation made in response to one from someone else; the act of making such accusations.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
crimination
re
again
crimination
accusation
Etymology
The word 'recrimination' is built upon the Latin verb criminari, meaning "to accuse," which itself stems from crimen (charge, verdict, crime). The prefix re-, meaning "back" or "again," was added to form the Late Latin recriminari, signifying "to accuse in return." This etymological construction perfectly captures the modern sense: a counter-accusation made in reply to an initial charge. The logic flows directly from the literal components—an accusation (crimination) thrown back (re-) at an original accuser, describing a cyclical blame-shifting argument.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + crimination (accusation)
• re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
• crimination: From Latin criminatio (accusation, charge), derived from crimen (charge, crime). It functions as the core noun denoting the act of accusing.
Examples
The political debate quickly descended into mutual recrimination.
After the failed project, there was a lot of bitter recrimination between the departments.
She avoided recrimination and instead focused on finding a solution.