criterion
[krahy-teer-ee-uh n]
- a standard of judgment or criticism; a rule or principle for evaluating or testing something.
Origin of criterion
1605–15; < Greek kritḗrion a standard, equivalent to kri- variant stem of krī́nein to separate, decide + -tērion neuter suffix of means (akin to Latin -tōrium -tory2)
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.commeasure, touchstone, yardstick. See standard.
Usage note
Like some other nouns borrowed from the Greek, criterion has both a Greek plural, criteria, and a plural formed on the English pattern, criterions. The plural in -a occurs with far greater frequency than does the -s plural: These are the criteria for the selection of candidates. Although criteria is sometimes used as a singular, most often in speech and only infrequently in edited prose, in standard English, it is more clearly used as a plural with criterion as the singular.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for criteria
Contemporary Examples
These decisions and criteria are referred to as “appropriateness.”
Some medical experts also argue that some of the criteria do not reflect the true nature of disease and suffering.
And while most states have compassionate release programs, the rules and criteria for each are different.
An avowed creationist who consults for a food lobby hardly seems an appropriate choice to fulfill these criteria.
Does campaigning for others who are actual merchants have to itself meet their criteria?
Historical Examples
There are three criteria of goodness—beauty, symmetry, truth.
PhilebusPlato
It concerns in part the criteria of valuation in the field of the social life.
The Psychology of NationsG.E. Partridge
The grounds for rejecting the criteria of the Roman law have been shown above.
The Common LawOliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
These, it is said, are the criteria of progress; all else is misleading.
The Complete Essays of C. D. WarnerCharles Dudley Warner
The main technique is study and constant reexamination of criteria.
The Armed Forces OfficerU. S. Department of Defense
criterion
- a standard by which something can be judged or decided
- philosophy a defining characteristic of something
Word Origin
C17: from Greek kritērion from kritēs judge, from krinein to decide
usage
Criteria, the plural of criterion, is not acceptable as a singular noun: this criterion is not valid; these criteria are not valid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for criteria
n.
1620s, plural of criterion (q.v.).
criterion
n.
1660s, from Latinized form of Greek kriterion "means for judging, standard," from krites "judge," from PIE root *krei- (see crisis). Used in English as a Greek word from 1610s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper