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criminologie

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Etymology and origin of the French word criminologie

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1888 Garofalo, La Criminologie More words from the 19th century
Borrowed from
Italian criminologia
Ultimate origin
Latin crimen

Pronunciation

  • /kʁi.mi.nɔ.lɔ.ʒi/[1]

Forms

criminologie f (usually uncountable, plural criminologies)[1]

Etymology

Rey considers it borrowed from Italian criminologia, recorded in 1888, the Italian word being used in 1885 by Raffaele Garofalo.[2] The TLFi dates it from the title of Garofalo's book (1888) and treats it as a French learned formation from Latin crimen (“accusation, crime”) (the source of crime) with -logie.[3][4] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date it to 1890 and derive it from crīminālis (“criminal”) and the same suffix;[5][6] Wiktionary analyses it as criminologue with the suffix -ie,[1] a noun recorded from 1957.[2] Its derivatives criminologique (1893) and criminologiste (1933) are formed in the same learned way.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1888 as the title of Garofalo's book La Criminologie, for the science of crime and criminals.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The word names the science, attached to criminal law, that studies criminals from the anthropological, psychological and social points of view and the features shared by different kinds of crime.[3] Later dictionaries put more weight on the causes and the prevention of crime.[6][7][4] In Gide's Les Caves du Vatican (1914) a law professor holds a new chair of comparative criminology.[3]

Timeline

  • 1885 – Garofalo uses Italian criminologia.[2]
  • 1888 – Garofalo's La Criminologie gives the French word.[3][2]
  • 1893 – First record of criminologique.[2]
  • 1914 – Gide's Les Caves du Vatican mentions a chair of comparative criminology.[3]
  • 1957 – First record of criminologue.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Criminology, the scientific study of crime and of criminals: its causes, its forms and its prevention.[6][7][8][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Criminologie.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/criminologie. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·