recidivism
UK /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/ · US /ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/ noun
Forms recidivisms
- noun Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past. “The increase in criminal activity was attributed to recidivism.”
- noun (psychology, psychiatry) Chronic repetition of criminal or other antisocial behavior.
- noun (by extension) Returning to a negative behavior after having stopped it for a period of time. “alcohol(ic) recidivism”
Etymology
From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “recidivism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details