accomplice

ac·com·plice   (ə-kŏm'plĭs)    n.  An associate in wrongdoing, especially one who aids or abets another in a criminal act, either as a principal or an accessory. [Alteration of complice.]

accomplice 

Main Entry: ac·com·plice
Pronunciation: &-'käm-pl&s, -'k&m-
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration (from incorrect division of a complice) of complice, from Middle French, associate, from Late Latin complic- complex partner, confederate
: one who intentionally and voluntarily participates with another in a crime by encouraging or assisting in the commission of the crime or by failing to prevent it though under a duty to do so accomplice of the burglar> accomplice in a robbery>

accomplice

in law, a person who becomes equally guilty in the crime of another by knowingly and voluntarily aiding the other to commit the offense. An accomplice is either an accessory or an abettor. The accessory aids a criminal prior to his crime, whereas the abettor aids him during the act itself.

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