Victim
/ˈvɪk.tɪm/noun
A person or thing harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event.
Did you know?In ancient Roman religion, a victima was the animal formally selected for sacrifice, and the word’s darker modern sense grew out of that ritual world of offering and omens.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to fight, overcome, conquer”
Latin
Latin
victima
“an animal sacrificed to a deity”
Late Latin
Latin
victima
“a sacrificial victim; something offered in sacrifice”
Old French
Old French
victime
“a person or animal sacrificed”
Middle English
English
victime
“a person harmed or killed, especially in a sacrifice or crime”
Modern English
English
victim
“a person harmed, injured, or killed by another or by an event”