THE FIRST WORD

recidivism

PRONUNCIATION:

(ri-SID-uh-viz-ehm) 

MEANING:

noun: Relapsing (into smoking, crime, etc.), especially repeatedly.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin re- (again) + cadere (to fall). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kad- (to fall), which is also the source of cadence, cascade, casualty, cadaver, chance, chute, accident, occident, decay, and casuistry . Earliest documented use: 1884.

USAGE:

"'A person is counted in the recidivism rate if he or she reoffends within two years after being discharged', Ms Panapasa said."
Ioane Burese; Recidivism Rate Drops; The Fiji Times (Suva); Oct 29, 2011.