Victim

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈvɪktɪm/
• US IPA: /ˈvɪktɪm/, /ˈvɪktÉ™m/

Origin

From Latin victima ("sacrificial animal").

Full definition of victim

Noun

1. original sense A living creature which is slain and offered as human or animal sacrifice, usually in a religious rite; by extension, the transfigurated body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
2. Anyone who is harmed by another.
• 1905, w, w:The Case of Miss Elliott Chapter 1, “There the cause of death was soon ascertained ; the victim of this daring outrage had been stabbed to death from ear to ear with a long, sharp instrument, in shape like an antique stiletto, which … was subsequently found under the cushions of the hansom. â€¦â€
• 2013-06-08, Obama goes troll-hunting, According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures trolls roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
3. An aggrieved or disadvantaged party in a crime (e.g. swindle.)
4. A person who suffers any other injury, loss, or damage as a result of a voluntary undertaking.
5. An unfortunate person who suffers from a disaster or other adverse circumstance.
• 1907, w, The Younger Set Chapter 6, “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera,...the speed-mad fugitives from the furies of ennui, the neurotic victims of mental cirrhosis, … !”
• 2013-06-29, High and wet, Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale....Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
6. (narratology) A character who is conquered or manipulated by a villain.