“crime” in Latin

(α) (α) The lighter terms: delictum: peccatum (delictum rather the transgression of positive laws from levity and thoughtlessness; peccatum, that of the laws of nature and reason, from ignorance or want of judgement): malefactum (a misdeed, at once a synonyme and a description of the preceding words).

(β) (β) The stronger terms: maleficium (as visible effect of malicious intention): facinus (a daring action manifesting strength of character and will; sometimes in a good sense, but more commonly in a bad one = δεινόν, Döderlein): scelus (a crime which manifests contempt of law, religion, and character). (The words are found in this connection and order), scelus et maleficium; scelus et facinus, nefas (an unnatural, impious, execrable deed, especially against what is holy or sacred): injuria (any action contrary to law): crimen (crime, inasmuch as one may accuse anybody of it, accusation, reproach; Vid: Obs. below): scelestum ac nefarium facinus; scelus nefarium (i. e., an abominable deed; an impious, atrocious outrage): impietas (a deed that violates love and gratitude towards the Deity, our country, sovereign, neighbor, etc., ): dedecus (a deed that will cause the loss of honor and esteem to the person that commits it): flagitium (disgraceful to one’s self, disgusting; e.g., gluttony, sensuality, cowardice, and other crimes proceeding not from strength of character, but weakness of principle). (The words are found in this connection and order), dedecus et flagitium. Cic. uses peccatum and delictum in the same sense; e.g., pro Muren., 30, 62: fatetur aliquis se peccasse, et ejus delicti veniam petit. A capital crime, res capitalis; facinus capitale (Cic.); capitalis noxa (Liv.): to accuse anybody of a capital crime, aliquem rei capitalis accusare or reum facere: to find a man guilty of a capital crime, aliquem rei capitalis damnare, condemnare. ☞ “Culpa,” in a juridical sense, stands only for “unpremeditated crime,” opposed to dolus, which conveys the notion of premeditation and bad intent. [☞ Crimen is hardly ever, except in poetry and post-classical prose, used for “crime,” except where “charge,” “accusation” might be substituted; thus, crimini dare = “to throw it in one’s teeth as an a ccusation” = “to impute it as a crime.” Hence, the crime imputed will be in the genitive, not in the same case; e.g., crimen parricidii summum erat (really “the charge of parricide was the heaviest that could be brought against a man”); not summum crimen erat parricidium. or summum erat crimen parricidium: but scelus maximum erat parricidium would be correct, Krebs after Weber and Grotefend]. Crimes of no serious nature, leviora delicta: the principal in a crime, sceleris auctor, or architectus, or molitor: to commit a crime, delictum committere; maleficium, or facinus admittere, or committere, or in se admittere; scelus facere or committere; also flagitium committere; dedecus or scelus admittere: scelus perficere; scelere se devincire. or se obstringere, or alligare [Vid: the SYN. of the substantives above]: to commit all manner of crimes, facere scelera et flagitia: in omni genere et scelerum et flagitiorum or in omni dedecore volutari: to commit crime after crime, in flagitia se ingurgitare: to disgrace one’s self by crimes, flagitiis se dedecorare or se inquinare: to commit a disgraceful or atrocious crime, scelere astringi or se astringere; aliquid nefarie facere or committere: aliquid sceleste, or impie, or impie nefarieque, or proterve agere, or facere: to be guilty of many crimes against both gods and men, multa impie nefarieque in deos hominesque committere: to commit a crime with one’s eyes open, scientem se contaminare scelere: what an atrocious crime! O indignum facinus! to clear one’s self of a crime, crimen amoliri or propulsare: to be guilty of a great crime, magno crimine se astringere: to impute anything as a crime to anybody, alicui aliquid crimini dare: alicui aliquid in crimine ponere: to paint his crime (to the judge) in the darkest colours, crimen atrociter deferre (Tac., Ann., 13, 19, extr.): stained with crime, scelere contaminatus (of persons only). Cf, Perduellio is a crime against the state, a treasonable crime; high-treason.