récidiverer

Récidiver is a French verb meaning to commit a new offense after a prior one, or to relapse into a previous state, habit, or condition. In common usage, it can refer to a return to a previously punished or prohibited behavior, beyond the initial act. The related noun récidive denotes the act or occurrence of such relapse or reoffending.

Etymology and sense: the verb derives from the Latin recidivare, from recidivus “fallen back,” itself from re- “back” and cadere “to fall.” In French, récidiver keeps a specialized sense connected to repeating a crime, but the broader sense of relapse is also found in medical or behavioral contexts.

Usage: in criminal justice, récidive describes the act of committing another offense after conviction, and it often influences assessments of risk, sentencing, or parole decisions. In everyday language, récidiver can be used more generally to mean returning to an unwanted behavior after a period of improvement, such as returning to smoking or another habit.

Conjugation and examples: récidiver is a regular -er verb. Present tense forms include je récidive, tu récidives, il récidive, nous récidivons, vous récidivez, ils récidivent. The past participle is récidivé, as in il a récidivé. Examples: il a récidivé malgré les mesures prises; la récidive a été retenue dans l’évaluation du risque.

See also: récidive, récidiver en droit, récidivisme.