Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “due” come from?

Due comes from Middle English dewe, from Latin deus meaning god, combined with the Latin suffix -inus.

due (English): Owed or owing; Appropriate; Scheduled; expected

Definitions

  1. Owed or owing; Appropriate; Scheduled; expected

Ancestry of “due”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdeweAlternative form of dew; Alternative form of...
2Old FrenchdeüAlternative form of deu
3Latindēbēre—
4Latindē—
5Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
6Latinposteablative singular of postis
7Proto-Italicposti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “due”

  • undue
  • unduly
  • overdue
  • duebill
  • dueness
  • undueness
  • dueful
  • dues
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →