Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “honesty” come from?

Honesty comes from Old French honesté, derived from Latin honestas and honestitas, ultimately from Latin honestus, which developed from Latin honor through the Proto-Italic suffix -tos and Proto-Indo-European -tós.

honesty (English): The act, quality, or condition of being honest;...

Definitions

  1. The act, quality, or condition of being honest;...

Ancestry of “honesty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhonestehonest
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 “honesty”

  • unhonesty
  • maiden's honesty
Every word from Old Latin honos →