Critic
/ˈkrɪtɪk/noun
A person who evaluates and judges the quality of something, especially art, literature, or performance.
Did you know?Critic comes from Greek krinein, “to separate, decide, judge,” the same ancient root behind words of judgment and crisis—moments when everything must be sorted under pressure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*krei-
“to sieve, separate, discriminate”
Ancient Greek
Greek
krinein
“to separate, decide, judge”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kritikos
“able to judge; skilled in judging”
Late Latin
Latin
criticus
“a judge of literature or art; a critic”
Middle French
French
critique
“a critic; critical appraisal”
16th Century
English
critik / critic
“a judge of literary or artistic works”
Modern English
English
critic
“a person who evaluates and judges the quality of something, especially art, literature, or performance”