Criminosis

/ˌkrɪmɪˈnoʊsɪs/ noun

Definition

A condition or state marked by the presence or prevalence of crime in a society or individual.

Etymology

From Latin crimen (crime) + -osis (condition/disease state, from Greek nosos 'disease'), forming a medical-style term for crime as a social affliction.

Kelly Says

Calling crime criminosis makes it sound like a disease society can catch, which actually reflects how some 19th-century thinkers genuinely viewed criminal behavior—as pathological.

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