Word of the Day - 11/05/25
recidivist
/ri'sɪdɪvɪst/(n.): someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior)
The parole officer noted that the repeat offender was a classic recidivist, always returning to the same type of petty theft after each release.
(n.): someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior
Even after several attempts to quit overeating junk food, Jenna remained a recidivist, sneaking chocolate late at night.
Word Origin
The word 'recidivist' originates from Late Latin 'recidivus', meaning "recurrent" or "falling back." It is formed from the Latin prefix 're-', meaning "back" or "again," and the verb 'cadere' (with the stem 'cid-'), meaning "to fall." The combination literally translates to "one who falls back again." The French term 'récidive' also played a role in its modern adoption, with the English suffix '-ist' added to denote a person who exhibits this characteristic.
Many English words share the Latin root 'cadere' (to fall), from which 'recidivist' derives its 'cid' element. Examples include 'accident' (from Latin 'accidere', to fall upon, happen), 'occasion' (from Latin 'occidere', to fall down, happen), 'decadent' (from Latin 'de-' meaning "down" and 'cadere' meaning "to fall"), and 'cadaver' (from Latin 'cadaver', meaning "dead body," literally "that which has fallen").