Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dutiful” come from?

Dutiful comes from Middle English dutieful, formed from Middle English dew and the Old English suffix -ful, with dew deriving from Latin deus meaning god.

dutiful (English): Accepting of one's legal or moral obligations and...

Definitions

  1. Accepting of one's legal or moral obligations and...

Ancestry of “dutiful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdutyThat which one is morally or legally obligated to...
2Middle EnglishdueteA charge, fee, or tax; a monetary sum one is owed...
3Middle EnglishdeweAlternative form of dew; Alternative form of...
4Old FrenchdeüAlternative form of deu
5Latindēbēre—
6Latindē—
7Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
8Latinposteablative singular of postis
9Proto-Italicposti—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “dutiful”

  • dutifully
  • undutiful
  • dutifulness
  • undutifulness
  • undutifully
  • dutifuller
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →