Arrestee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who is held in custody by police due to supposed illicit activity or criminal suspicion represents a significant legal status
2. An individual taken into custody for purposes of legal proceedings, generally linked to alleged misconduct or crime defines an important point in the justice process
3. A person detained by law enforcement for alleged criminal acts or infractions serves a critical role in the legal system

Etymology: The word "arrestee" is a plain formation: the noun "arrest" with the suffix "-ee", which marks the person on the receiving end of an action. Its parts are older than the English noun itself. "Arrest" came into English from Old French, where it traced back through Latin roots meaning to stop or hold back, and the "-ee" ending arrived in English from Old French "-ee," itself descended from Latin "-atus," the ending that marks a person acted upon. Put together, an arrestee is simply someone who has been stopped or seized. The pattern is one English speakers use often. Words like "employee," "trainee," and "payee" all follow the same logic: the "-ee" names the one who is employed, trained, or paid, while the base word names the act. "Arrestee" applies that pattern to law enforcement, where the arrest is the action and the person detained is its recipient.

Synonyms: detainee, suspect, accused, inmate, prisoner

Antonyms: free person, innocent, bystander, witness, civilian