crime   (krīm)    n.   An act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it and for which punishment is imposed upon conviction. Unlawful activity: statistics relating to violent crime. A serious offense, especially one in violation of morality. An unjust, senseless, or disgraceful act or condition: It's a crime to squander our country's natural resources. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin crīmen; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]

Crime

Crime\ (kr[imac]m), n.[F. crime, fr. L. crimen judicial decision, that which is subjected to such a decision, charge, fault, crime, fr. the root of cernere to decide judicially. See Certain.]

1. Any violation of law, either divine or human; an omission of a duty commanded, or the commission of an act forbidden by law.

2. Gross violation of human law, in distinction from a misdemeanor or trespass, or other slight offense. Hence, also, any aggravated offense against morality or the public welfare; any outrage or great wrong. "To part error from crime." --Tennyson.

Note: Crimes, in the English common law, are grave offenses which were originally capitally punished (murder, rape, robbery, arson, burglary, and larceny), as distinguished from misdemeanors, which are offenses of a lighter grade. See Misdemeanors.

3. Any great wickedness or sin; iniquity.

No crime was thine, if 'tis no crime to love. --Pope.

4. That which occasion crime. [Obs.]

The tree of life, the crime of our first father's fall. --Spenser.

Capital crime, a crime punishable with death.

Syn: Sin; vice; iniquity; wrong.

Usage: Crime, Sin,Vice. Sin is the generic term, embracing wickedness of every kind, but specifically denoting an offense as committed against God. Crime is strictly a violation of law either human or divine; but in present usage the term is commonly applied to actions contrary to the laws of the State. Vice is more distinctively that which springs from the inordinate indulgence of the natural appetites, which are in themselves innocent. Thus intemperance, unchastity, duplicity, etc., are vices; while murder, forgery, etc., which spring from the indulgence of selfish passions, are crimes.

crime 

Main Entry: crime
Pronunciation: 'krIm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin crimen fault, accusation, crime
1 : conduct that is prohibited and has a specific punishment (as incarceration or fine) prescribed by public law —compare DELICT, TORT
2 : an offense against public law usually excluding a petty violation —see also FELONY, MISDEMEANOR
NOTE: Crimes in the common-law tradition were originally defined primarily by judicial decision. For the most part, common-law crimes are now codified. There is a general principle “nullum crimen sine lege,” that there can be no crime without a law. A crime generally consists of both conduct, known as the actus reus, and a concurrent state of mind, known as the mens rea.
3 : criminal activity

crime

three classifications of criminal offense that are central to the administration of justice in many Roman- and civil-law countries (for distinctions in Anglo-American law covering analogous offenses, see felony and misdemeanour). Crimes in French law are the most serious offenses, punishable by death or prolonged imprisonment. A delit is any offense punishable by a short prison sentence, usually from one to five years, or a fine. Contraventions are minor offenses.

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