accomplice

English

Etymology

First attested in the 1580s. From Middle English accomplice, from a complice, from Old French complice (“confederate”), from Latin complicare (“fold together”). The article a became part of the word, through the influence of the word accomplish.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈkɒm.plɪs/, /ə.ˈkʌm.plɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ə.ˈkɑm.pləs/, /ə.ˈkɑm.plɪs/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ac‧com‧plice

Noun

accomplice (plural accomplices)

1. (law) An associate in the commission of a crime; a participator in an offense, whether a principal or an accessory.
   • 1749, Samuel Johnson, Irene

     And thou, the curst accomplice of her treason, Declare thy message, and expect thy doom

   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis; John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Third Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 80026745:

     suspected for accomplice to the fire

2. (rare) A cooperator.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Success unto our valiant general, And happiness to his accomplices!

Usage notes

• Followed by with or of before a person and by in or to (or sometimes of) before the crime; as, "A was an accomplice with B in the murder of C"; or, "D was an accomplice to murder".

Synonyms

• abettor, accessory, assistant, associate, confederate, coadjutor, ally, promoter; see abettor.

Derived terms

• accompliceship

Translations

associate in the commission of a crime

• Arabic: شَرِيك فِي جَرِيمَة‎ (šarīk fī jarīma)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: саўдзе́льнік m (saŭdzjélʹnik), саўдзе́льніца f (saŭdzjélʹnica), супо́льнік m (supólʹnik), супо́льніца f (supólʹnica)
• Bulgarian: съуча́стник (bg) m (sǎučástnik), съуча́стничка f (sǎučástnička), съуча́стница f (sǎučástnica)
• Catalan: còmplice m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幫兇 (zh), 帮凶 (zh) (bāngxiōng)

• Czech: spolupachatel m, spolupachatelka f, spoluviník m, spoluviníce f, komplic m
• Danish: medskyldig c
• Dutch: medeplichtige (nl) m or f, handlanger (nl) m
• Esperanto: kunkulpulo, kunkulpulino
• Finnish: osallinen (fi), rikokseen osallinen (principal or accessory); rikoksentekijä (principal); avunantaja (accessory)
• French: complice (fr) m or f, comparse (fr) m, compère (fr) m
• German: Mittäter (de) m, Mittäterin (de) f, Komplize (de) m, Komplizin (de) f
• Greek: συνεργός (el) m (synergós)

  Ancient: συνεργός m (sunergós), συνέντης m (sunéntēs)

• Hungarian: bűnrészes (hu), bűntárs (hu), cinkos (hu)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} complice
• Irish: comhchoirí m
• Italian: complice (it) m or f, correo (it) m, correa f, basista (it) m
• Japanese: 共犯者 (きょうはんしゃ, kyōhansha)
• Kazakh: қылмыстас (qylmystas)
• Korean: 공범(共犯) (ko) (gongbeom), 공범자(共犯者) (gongbeomja)
• Kyrgyz: кылмышташ (kılmıştaş)
• Latin: correus m
• Macedonian: соучесник m (součesnik), соучесница f (součesnica), соизвршител m (soizvršitel), соизвршителка f (soizvršitelka)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: medskyldig m

• Persian: شریک جرم‎ (šarik-e jorm), همدست‎ (fa) (hamdast)
• Polish: wspólnik (pl) m, wspólniczka f, współsprawca m
• Portuguese: cúmplice (pt) m or f
• Romanian: complice (ro) m or f
• Russian: соуча́стник (ru) m (součástnik), соуча́стница (ru) f (součástnica), соо́бщник (ru) m (soóbščnik), соо́бщница (ru) f (soóbščnica), посо́бник (ru) m (posóbnik), посо́бница (ru) f (posóbnica), подельник (ru) (podelʹnik), приспешник (ru) (prispešnik), клеврет (ru) (klevret)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: суу̀чеснӣк m, суу̀чесница f, сау̀чеснӣк m, сау̀чесница f

  Roman: suùčesnīk (sh) m, suùčesnica (sh) f, saùčesnīk m, saùčesnica f

• Slovak: komplic m, spolupáchateľ m, spolupáchateľka f
• Slovene: sokrivec m, sokrivka f
• Spanish: cómplice (es) m or f
• Swedish: medbrottsling (sv), medskyldig c, kumpan (sv)
• Tagalog: kasabwat
• Telugu: తోడుదొంగ (te) (tōḍudoṅga)
• Ukrainian: співуча́сник m (spivučásnyk), співуча́сниця f (spivučásnycja), спі́льник (uk) m (spílʹnyk), спі́льниця f (spílʹnycja), поплі́чник m (poplíčnyk), поплі́чниця f (poplíčnycja)
• Vietnamese: người đồng lõa
• Volapük: (♂♀) kedöban, (♂) hikedöban, (♀) jikedöban
• Welsh: acwmplydd m

cooperator

• Catalan: còmplice m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: handlanger (nl) m
• Finnish: apulainen (fi), apuri (fi); kätyri (fi)
• French: complice (fr) m or f
• German: Mitarbeiter (de) m, Mittäter (de) m, Partner (de) m, Handlanger (de) m, Helfer (de) m
• Italian: complice (it) m, collaboratore (it) m, basista (it) m, coadiuvante (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: соучесник m (součesnik), соучесница f (součesnica), соизвршител m (soizvršitel), соизвршителка f (soizvršitelka)
• Persian: شریک‎ (fa) (šarik)
• Portuguese: cúmplice (pt) m or f
• Russian: помо́щник (ru) m (pomóščnik), помо́щница (ru) f (pomóščnica)
• Spanish: cómplice (es) m or f, fautor (es) m
• Swedish: medhjälpare (sv) c