cad-, cas-, cid-

The habitual act of committing crimes, or a return to prior behavior, especially illegal behavior: The recidivisms of criminals is being evaluated by authorities with the hope that they can come up with programs that will lower the rates of recidivism for each person who has been previously convicted of breaking the law.

1. Someone who continues to commit crimes even though he or she has been caught and imprisoned; a repeat offender: Ebony's husband has been categorized as a recidivist because he keeps going back to his previous criminal habits.
2. Etymology: "a relapsed criminal", from French récidiviste; which came from récidiver, "to fall back, to relapse", from Medieval Latin recidivare, "to relapse into sin" (Latin as it was written and spoken during approximately 700-1500 A.D.), from Latin recidivus, "falling back"; from recidere, "to fall back", from re-, "back, again" + caedere, "to fall". © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A reference to a repetition of antisocial behavior, especially criminal behavior: The legal authorities in Sara's community are striving to have a new program that will decrease recidivous rates.
2. Etymology: from Latin re-, "back" + cadere, "to fall." © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

Translation: "Dripping moisture hollows out a stone."

Also translated as: "Slow and steady does it."