Word of the Day : June 15, 2019

recidivism \rih-SID-uh-viz-um\ noun

Definition

: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially : relapse into criminal behavior

Did You Know?

Recidivism means literally "a falling back" and usually implies "into bad habits." It comes from the Latin word recidivus, which means "recurring." Recidivus itself comes from the Latin verb recidere, which is a composite of the prefix re- and the verb cadere (meaning "to fall") and means "to fall back." Recidivists tend to relapse, or "fall back," into old habits and particularly crime. Deciduous and incident are two other English words that have roots in cadere. Deciduous comes from the verb decidere (de- plus cadere), which means "to fall off." And incident comes from incidere (in- plus cadere), which means "to fall into."

Aired June 15, 2019

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com