Where does “irreproachable” come from?
Irreproachable comes from French irréprochable, composed of the French negative prefix in- from Latin in-, itself from Latin in meaning "not," ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European ne, a negative particle.
irreproachable (English): Free from blame, not open to reproach or...
Definitions
- Free from blame, not open to reproach or...
Ancestry of “irreproachable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | irréprochable | irreproachable |
| 2 | French | reprochable | reproachable |
| 3 | French | reprocher | to blame somebody for something |
| 4 | Old French | reprochier | to chastise; to admonish; to reproach |
| 5 | Latin | repropiāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | prope | near, nearby, nigh; close in time; almost, nearly |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | prokʷe | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |