Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “honest” come from?

Honest comes from Middle English honeste, from Old French oneste, from Latin honestus, derived from Latin honor through the Proto-Italic suffix -tos and ultimately Proto-Indo-European -tós.

honest (English): Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not...

Definitions

  1. Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not...

Ancestry of “honest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhonest—
2Old Frenchhonesté—
3Latinhonestasrespectability; honor, honour, honorableness;...
4LatinhonestusFull of or regarded with honor/honour;...
5Latinhonorhonor, esteem, dignity, reputation, office
6Old LatinhonosAlternative form of honor

Words derived from “honest”

  • honester
  • underhonest
  • onest
Every word from Old Latin honos →