## Meanings
1. An act that breaks the law and can be punished.
2. Illegal activity in general.
3. Something that seems very wrong or shameful, even if it is not against the law.

## Examples
- Stealing a car is a serious crime.
- The police are working hard to reduce crime in the city.
- It's a crime to throw away so much good food.

## Synonyms
- criminality
- delinquency
- malefaction
- perpetration
- unlaw
- unlawfulness

## Antonyms
- noncrime

## Derived Forms
- aftercrime
- anticrime
- autocrime
- biocrime
- crimance
- crime-buster
- crime-fighter
- crime-free
- crime-ridden
- crimebuster
- crimebusting
- crimefighter

## Related Forms
- delictual
- felony
- offence
- sin

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *krey-
- Root: cryme
- Root: crime
- Root: crīmen

## Etymology
From Middle English cryme, crime, from Old French crime, crimne, from Latin crīmen. Displaced native Old English firen.

## AI Etymology
crime comes from Middle English cryme, crime, from Old French crime, crimne, from Latin crīmen. Displaced native Old English firen. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *krey-, Middle English cryme, Old French crime, Latin crīmen. Current senses include An act that breaks the law and can be punished and Illegal activity in general. English relatives and later formations include aftercrime, anticrime, autocrime, delictual, felony.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice

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