Where does “haughty” come from?

Haughty comes from Middle English hautein, derived from Old French (implied in the chain), ultimately from Latin altus meaning "high," which developed the sense of "arrogantly superior" through the notion of elevated station.

haughty (English): Conveying in demeanour the assumption of...

Definitions

  1. Conveying in demeanour the assumption of...

Ancestry of “haughty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhauteinhaughty; proud; high
2Middle Englishhauteself-important
3Old Frenchhauthigh
4Latinaltushigh, tall; deep; profound
5Proto-Italicaltos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

Words derived from “haughty”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós →Every word from Proto-Italic altos →