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delinquente

criminal; delinquent

noun adjective deh-leen-KWEN-teh Rare
People & Society Crime

Origin: From Latin 'delinquentem', present participle of 'delinquere' (to offend).

Usage Note

Delinquente is a common-gender noun — the same form is used for both male and female (il delinquente, la delinquente); the grammatical gender follows the article. As an adjective it means 'criminal' or 'delinquent'. It can also be used loosely in colloquial speech as a mild insult ('rascal'). The plural is i delinquenti / le delinquenti.

Examples

"La polizia ha arrestato il delinquente."

Natural Translation

The police arrested the criminal.

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