Delinquent

A delinquent (from Latin delinquere, to fail in duty) is a person who has violated some rule, law or requirement and is therefore sentenced to be punished.

The term delinquent can be used in general to mean "person to be punished" (i.e. the "punishee") in a formal sense. It is less accusive than "criminal" and often used for minor crimes, e.g. a "juvenile delinquent".

If the punishment is to be a spanking, the delinquent will be the spankee.

A delinquent who accepts his or her punishment readily (due to feelings of remorse) is called a penitent.

Thesaurus

• miscreant
• wrongdoer
• criminal
• sinner

Jump to: Main Page • Micropedia • Macropedia • Icons • Time Line • History • Life Lessons • Links • Help
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root