Where does “indignity” come from?
Indignity comes from Old French indignité, from Latin indignitas, composed of the Latin prefix in- (from in, meaning "not") and Latin deḵ- (from Proto-Indo-European ne, meaning "to be worthy"), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ne.
indignity (English): degradation, debasement or humiliation; an...
Definitions
- degradation, debasement or humiliation; an...
Ancestry of “indignity”, step by step
indignity traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English indign
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | indign | Unworthy, undeserving; disgraceful; unbecoming |
| 2 | Middle French | indigne | — |
| 3 | Latin | indignus | unworthy, undeserving; unbecoming; shameful |
| 4 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 5 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 6 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via Latin indignitas
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | indignitas | unworthiness; vileness; indignity, humiliation |
| 2 | Latin | -tās | ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship |
| 3 | Pali | -tā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tweh₂ | Forms nouns from verbs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂ | — |