Language Matters | ‘Extradition’: amid protests in Hong Kong, a look at where the word came from
- The word that drew millions of Hongkongers onto the streets this month entered the English language in 1833
- A closely related word, rendition, was first used around 1600
Extradition. The word entered English in 1833, from the French extradition – where it was apparently coined by French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher Voltaire, from the Latin ex, meaning “out”, plus traditionem, meaning “a delivering up, handing over”, the noun of action from the Latin tradere “to hand over”.
Extradition involves the delivering up, by a state or a nation, upon receipt of a formal request by another state or nation, to that second jurisdiction, of an individual charged with or convicted of a crime in that jurisdiction, with proper procedure for extradition managed by treaties between parties.
The verb to extradite developed later, in 1864, as a backformation from the noun.
The Latin verb tradere itself is composed of the Latin preposition trans, meaning “over, across, beyond” (found in many other words such as “transfer” and “transport”) and the Latin verb dare, meaning “to do” – and this has produced several related words.
From tradere “to hand over”, Latin has the noun of action traditionem “delivery, surrender, handing down”, which developed into the Old French tradicion “transmission, presentation, handing over”, and thence entered English (in the late 14th century) as tradition, meaning “statement, belief or practice handed down through generations”.