Society > Law > Crimes

Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.

abduct to kidnap.
abduction kidnap.
abet to incite to or assist in an illegal act.
abetment the act of abetting; as, an abetment of treason, crime, etc.
abettal the act of ABETTING.
abscond to depart suddenly and secretly.
anticrime opposed to crime.
antifraud designed to reduce fraud.
antigang designed to restrict the activities of criminal gangs.
antigraft designed to reduce corruption.
antirape opposed to rape.
antitheft designed to prevent theft.
arson the malicious or fraudulent burning of property.
arsonous relating to ARSON.
assault an unlawful attempt to apply force to the person of another (when force is actually applied, the act amounts to BATTERY); (verb) to attack.
autocrime crime related to cars.
banditry the activities of a bandit.
barratrous barretrous tainted with, or constituting, BARRATRY.
barratry barretry the offense of frequently stirring up lawsuits or quarrels.
battery an attack against a person, beating or wounding by touching clothes or body.
becrime to make guilty of crime.
berob to rob.
bigamous guilty of bigamy > BIGAMOUSLY.
bigamy the crime of being married to two people simultaneously.
blackbird to traffic in slaves.
blackmail to extort money from a person by threats.
blag to rob, steal.
bloodguilt the guilt of shedding blood, e.g. in murder.
bobbitt to amputate a husband's penis (not sure if this is a officially a crime, but it does seem questionable behaviour).
bobol a type of fraud carried out by one with access to public funds; (verb) to commit a bobol > BOBOLS, BOBOLLING, BOBOLLED.
bootleg to make, sell, or transport (alcoholic liquor) for sale illegally; to produce, distribute, or sell without permission or illegally. [From a smuggler's practice of carrying liquor in the legs of boots].
bossnapping kidnapping a company's boss as part of industrial action.
brigandage the life and practice of brigands; highway robbery.
brigandry the act of being a BRIGAND.
burglarise burglarize to commit BURGLARY.
burglary forcible entry into a building especially at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft).
burgle to commit BURGLARY.
calumny the malicious uttering of false charges calculated to damage another's reputation; (verb) to utter a calumny > CALUMNIED, CALUMNYING.
carjack to hijack a road vehicle and its occupants.
champerty an illegal contract to finance a lawsuit for a percentage fee.
chantage blackmail to prevent exposure of scandalous facts.
cly to seize or steal > CLIES, CLYING, CLIED.
collusion a secret agreement to deceive, e.g. one made between the opposing parties in a lawsuit.
condiddle to steal.
conspirant engaging in a plot to commit a crime; conspiring.
conspire to plot or scheme together, esp. treasonously.
contraband illegal or prohibited traffic in goods.
conversion unauthorised dealing with another's property.
covin covyne covine a conspiracy between two or more people to act to the injury of another.
crime a violation of law, esp if serious; (verb) to charge or convict of an infraction of regulations.
crimeful full of crime.
crimeless without crime.
crimen (Lat.) crime, as in crimen falsi, the crime of perjury > CRIMINA.
crimewave a period of increased criminal activity.
criminality the state of being criminal.
criminate to accuse of a crime or other wrongful act; to incriminate.
criminogenic causing crime.
criminology study of crime; criminals.
criminous criminal, chiefly in the ecclesiastical phrase 'a criminous clerk'.
criminousness the state of being CRIMINOUS.
crookery crooked activity.
cybercrime computer-related crime.
cyberterrorism computer-related terrorism.
dacoitage dacoity dakoiti dakoity robbery by dacoits, Indian brigands.
defalcate to embezzle money held on trust.
defalcation the act or an instance of embezzling.
defamation the act of defaming another.
defamatory serving to defame > DEFAMATORILY.
delict a violation of law; an offence.
dewitt to lynch. [From the surname of two brothers, John and Cornelius De Witt, who were lynched by a mob in 1672].
dognap to abduct a dog > DOGNAPS, DOGNAPING or DOGNAPPING, DOGNAPED or DOGNAPPED.
duffing cattle-stealing.
embezzle to appropriate fraudulently to one's own use.
embezzlement the act of EMBEZZLING.
embracery an attempt to influence a jury illegally as by bribery, threats, or promises.
enlevement (Scots law) the abduction of a woman or child.
ethnocide the extermination of a racial or cultural group.
extorsive extortive relating to or practising extortion.
extortion the illegal securing of money by compulsion or violence.
felony a grave crime.
fenagle finagle to obtain by guile or swindling.
filch to steal.
filicidal relating to FILICIDE, the killing of one's own child.
filicide the killing of one's own child.
finagle see FENAGLE.
fineer to get goods on credit by fraud or deception.
flimp to rob somebody while a partner hustles.
forgery fraudulently making or altering anything, esp anything printed.
fratricidal relating to FRATRICIDE.
fratricide the killing of a brother.
fraud criminal deception done with the intention of gaining an advantage.
fraudful full of fraud or deceit > FRAUDFULLY.
fraudulence fraudulency the state of being FRAUDULENT.
fraudulent characterized by fraud > FRAUDULENTLY.
fraudulentness the state of being FRAUDULENT.
freebootery freebooty piracy.
fugitation in Scots law, absconding from justice.
furacious given to thieving; thievish. [L. furari, to steal].
furaciousness furacity addictedness to theft; thievishness.
genocidal relating to GENOCIDE.
genocide the deliberate extermination of a national or racial group.
glom to steal > GLOMS, GLOMMING, GLOMMED.
graymail pressure on an official to reveal sensitive information.
gunrunning smuggling guns into a country.
hamesucken (Scots) the assaulting of a man in his own house.
heist a robbery; (verb) to steal or rob in a heist.
highjack hijack to seize a vehicle while in transit.
homicidal related to homicide > HOMICIDALLY.
homicide the killing of one person by another.
housebreaking the act of breaking into a house for the purpose of stealing.
illegal against the law > ILLEGALLY.
illegality the state of being ILLEGAL.
infanticide the killing of a small child.
infanticidal relating to INFANTICIDE.
jackroll to rob a drunken or sleeping person.
joyride to take a car without the owner's permission > JOYRIDES, JOYRIDING, JOYRODE, JOYRIDDEN.
kidnap to abduct > KIDNAPS, KIDNAPING or KIDNAPPING, KIDNAPED or KIDNAPPED.
klephtism being a KLEPHT, a Greek brigand.
laches negligence or unreasonable delay in pursuing a legal remedy > LACHESES. N.B. no LACHE*.
larcenous relating to LARCENY, theft of personal property > LARCENOUSLY.
larceny theft of personal property (replaced as a statutory crime in English law by THEFT).
latrocinium highway robbery > LATROCINIA.
latrociny highway robbery. [L. latro, thief].
legering selling short weight.
levant to run away from a debt.
libel to defame by the circulation of libellous statements; accuse falsely and maliciously > LIBELS, LIBELING or LIBELLING, LIBELED or LIBELLED.
libellous libelous relating to LIBEL.
lynch to put to death without legal sanction.
maihem mayhem maiming, malicious damage.
mainor mainour stolen property discovered on thief's person.
malefactory having the nature of a MALEFACTOR.
malfeasance evil-doing; illegal activities.
malversation dishonest or unethical conduct in office, such as bribery, extortion or embezzlement.
manslaughter the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied malice.
mansworn perjured; one who commit perjury > MANSWORNS.
matricidal relating to MATRICIDE.
matricide the killing of a mother.
mayhem see MAIHEM.
misdemeanour a legal offence of less gravity than a FELONY.
misfeasance the doing of a lawful act in a wrongful manner.
misprision a wrongful act or omission; spec. a misdemeanour or failure of duty by a public official.
moonshine illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit; (verb) to distil illicit liquor > MOONSHINES, MOONSHINING, MOONSHINED.
mopery violation of a trivial or imaginary law, for example, loitering, used to arrest someone when no other crime can be charged.
multicide mass murder.
murder murther to kill unlawfully with premediated malice.
murderous inclined to murder > MURDEROUSLY.
murther see MURDER.
mutine mutiny; a mutineer; (verb) to mutiny.
mutiny to revolt against constituted authority.
nim to take or steal > NIMS, NIMMING, NIMMED.
noncrime something that is not a crime.
noxal relating to wrongful injury by an animal or person belonging to another.
obreption an attempt to obtain ecclesiastical dispensation, etc., fraudulently.
outlawry the state of being an OUTLAW.
outthieve to surpass at thieving.
parricidal of or pertaining to PARRICIDE.
parricide the killing of a parent or close relative.
patricidal of or pertaining to PATRICIDE.
patricide the killing of a father.
peculate to embezzle.
peculation embezzlement.
perduellion treason.
perjurious perjurous guilty of perjury.
perjury the willful giving of false testimony under oath in a judicial proceeding.
petnap to kidnap a pet > PETNAPS, PETNAPING or PETNAPPING, PETNAPPED.
picaroon a pirate ship; (verb) to act as a pirate.
pickery in Scots law, petty theft.
pickpocket to pick pockets.
pilfer to steal.
pilferable that can be pilfered.
pilferage the act of pilfering.
pilfery petty theft.
piracy robbery on the high seas.
plagiarise plagiarize to steal ideas or writings from another person and present them as one's own.
plagium the crime of kidnapping.
plunderage the EMBEZZLEMENT of goods on shipboard.
poach to steal game.
praemunire the offense of introducing foreign authority into England, the penalties for which were originally intended to depress the civil power of the pope in the kingdom.
prig to filch.
prolicidal relating to PROLICIDE, the killing of offspring.
prolicide killing of offspring; killing of the human race.
purloin to steal; to filch.
purpresture encroachment on public property.
rape unlawful sexual intercourse (by force) with another person without that person's consent; (verb) to commit rape.
recidivism a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior, especially a relapse into criminal behavior.
recidivous given to RECIDIVISM.
regicidal pertaining to REGICIDE, or to one committing it.
regicide the killing of a king.
rob to steal.
robbery the act of one who robs.
rort to commit fraud, falsify accounts.
rustle to steal cattle or horses.
safecracking the act of breaking open a safe.
scrump skrump to steal fruit (esp. apples) from trees.
sedition conduct or language inciting people to rebellion or a breach of public order.
seditious relating to SEDITION > SEDITIOUSLY.
shoplift to steal from a shop.
skrump see SCRUMP.
skyjack to hijack an aeroplane.
slander to defame.
slanderous relating to SLANDER > SLANDEROUSLY.
sororicidal relating to SORORICIDE, the killing of one's own sister.
sororicide the killing of one's own sister.
steal to take without right or permission > STEALS, STEALING, STOLE or (Scots) STEALT or STEALED or (obs.) STAW, STOLEN or (obs.) STOLN or (Scots) STOWN.
stealage theft.
stellionate fraud committed in making contracts, esp. that which involves selling the same thing, or rights to the same thing, to different persons.
stickup a robbery at gunpoint.
stouth (Scots) theft.
stoutherie (Scots) theft, stolen goods.
stouthrief (Scots) theft with violence.
suborn to bribe or procure to commit an unlawful act.
thagi murder and robbery by thugs > THAGIS.
theft the act of stealing.
theftuous thievish.
thieve to steal.
thievery the act or practice of stealing.
thuggee murder and robbery by thugs.
thuggery the behaviour of a thug.
thuggism the system of robbery and assassination practised by the Thugs.
tort a breach of a duty imposed by law (rather than by contract) which gives a right of action for damages.
tortious committing a wrongful deed > TORTIOUSLY.
trahison treachery; treason.
treason violation of allegiance toward one's country.
treasonable of the nature of treason > TREASONABLY.
trespass to enter unlawfully upon another's land.
trigamy the state of being married to three spouses at the same time.
trucage truquage the faking of works of art.
twoccing twocking the offence of taking (a car) without the owner's consent.
unhoard to take or steal from a hoard.
uxoricidal of or pertaining to UXORICIDE.
uxoricide the murder of a wife by her husband.