Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

criminy

/ˈkɹaɪ.mɪ.ni/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.16 in modern English

Syllables
crim-iny
IPA
/ˈkɹaɪ.mɪ.ni/
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

Etymology

Either from Italian crimine (“crime”), or a minced oath from "Christ's money" (in reference to the silver that Judas was paid for betraying Jesus), or a deformation of Gemini (which was recorded as an oath from the 1660s). First attested in the 1680s.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

crimine (alternative) crimini (alternative) crimony (alternative) by criminy (alternative) crimany (alternative) crimeny (alternative) crimmini (alternative) criminny (alternative)

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce criminy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɹaɪ.mɪ.ni/.
What does criminy mean?
Expressing surprise or impatience.
Where does criminy come from?
It is traced to Italian. First known use: First attested in the 1680s.

How to pronounce criminy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “criminy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɹaɪ.mɪ.ni/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “criminy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “criminy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.