NOCENT ADJ. 1. harmful, injurious, hurtful - c1500 obs. 2. guilty, criminal - 1559 NOUN 1. a guilty person, a criminal - 1447 obs., often opposed to 'innocent' 2. (as 'the nocent') guilty people collectively - 1563 obs. ETYMOLOGY from Middle French nocent (adj. & n.) or its etymon classical Latin nocent-, nocēns (injurious, guilty, guilty person) uses as adjective and noun of present participle of nocēre (to hurt, to injure) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1447 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Thys iuge ys brouht pat he wold me Do forsakyn to ben an innocent, That he me myht makyn a nocent! Quod Almache ageyn: „knowyst not, wrecche, Hou pat my power dothe astrecche...." From: Legendys of Hooly Wummen - Osbern Bokenam (Edited by Mary Sidney Serjeantson, 1938)
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