Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “atonement” come from?

Atonement comes from Middle English atone, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum, derived from Latin mens meaning mind, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méntis and men-.

atonement (English): Making amends to restore a damaged relationship;...

Definitions

  1. Making amends to restore a damaged relationship;...

Ancestry of “atonement”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishonementThe state of being at one or reconciled
2EnglishOne—
3Middle Englishonon, in; on; Alternative form of oon
4Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
5Proto-West Germanicanaon
6Proto-Germanic*an—
7Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →