Accomplice

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈkɒm.plɪs/

Definitions

1. A person who knowingly assists another in committing a crime or wrongdoing
2. a partner in wrongdoing who deliberately aids and abets another's criminal or unethical act
3. someone who knowingly collaborates with another to perpetrate an unlawful deed or offense

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "accomplice" is that the "a" at its front was never part of the original word. English first recorded the term in 1550 as "complice," borrowed through Middle English from Old French, where it meant a confederate, a partner in a scheme. The Latin source, "complicāre," meant "to fold together," which gives a picture of two people bundled into one plot. Over time English speakers started running the word together with the sentence it appeared in. Phrases like "a complice" were heard as "accomplice," and the initial "a" was absorbed into the noun. The change was reinforced by the verb "accomplish," which shared the "ac-" prefix and sounded similar, so the spelling and pronunciation both drifted toward the longer form.

Synonyms: partner, associate, collaborator, co-conspirator, accessory

Antonyms: opponent, adversary, enemy, rival, traitor