Obs. Also 6 creticke, 6–7 criticke, 7–8 -ick, -ique. [ad. L. critic-us (orig. as a medical term), a. Gr. κριτικός critical, f. κριτός decerned, κριτής a judge; f. κρί-ν-ειν to decide, judge. Partly after F. cretique (1372, Corbichon), critique (a. 1590 Paré) both in medical use.]
† 1. Med., etc. Relating to or involving the crisis of a disease, etc.; = CRITICAL 4, 5. Obs.
1544. Phaër, Regim. Lyfe (1553), G j b. If it [‘jaundis’] appeare in the vj day, beyng a day iudiciall or creticke of the ague.
1601. Weever, Mirr. Mart., C viij b.
| If euer sheild-shapt Comet was portent | |
| Of Criticke day, foule and pernitious. |
1605. Daniel, Queen’s Arcadia, III. i. Of Symptoms, Crycis, and the Critick Days.
2. Judging captiously or severely, censorious, carping, fault-finding.
1598. Florio, Critico, criticke, judging mens acts and works written.
1621. R. Johnson, Way to Glory, 25. That … is now in this criticke age called in question, [etc.].
a. 1667. Cowley, Elegy on J. Littleton. In ’s Body too, no Critique Eye could find The smallest Blemish.
3. Skilful in judging, esp. about literary or artistic work; belonging to criticism; = CRITICAL 3.
1626. W. Sclater, Expos. 2 Thess. (1629), 144. A criticke Scholiast vpon the Reuelation.
1635. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., II. v. 67. Learned diuines and criticke expositours.
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, II. iii. 87. A critic judgement is made by experience and prudence and Reason or discourse.
1709. Pope, Ess. Crit., III. 153. Critic Learning flourish’d most in France.
1834. Fraser’s Mag., X. 19. Matters historic, critic, analytic, and philologic.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., cviii. The critic clearness of an eye, That saw thro’ all the Muses’ walk.
