crimen

crime

noun KREE-men Less Common

Origin: from Latin crimen (accusation, offence)

Usage Note

Crimen in Spanish typically refers to a serious crime, especially homicide — it is not the everyday word for any minor offence (use delito for that). The plural is crímenes, restoring the written accent because the stress stays on the first syllable. Crimen organizado is the standard phrase for organized crime.

Examples

"Investigan un crimen en el centro."

Natural Translation

They are investigating a crime downtown.

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