Complicant

/kəmˈplɪkənt/ noun

Definition

A person who is involved in or party to wrongdoing; an accomplice or co-conspirator.

Etymology

From Latin complicant- (nominative complicans), present participle of complicare 'to fold together,' from com- 'together' + plicare 'to fold.' The term evolved to describe someone folded into a conspiracy or crime.

Kelly Says

The word 'complicant' is rarely used today, but it's a linguistic ghost—it once competed with 'accomplice' but lost out because accomplice sounds sharper and more dramatic. Language naturally selects for words that feel right on the tongue.

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