Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “irreverent” come from?

Irreverent comes from Latin irreverent-, the negated form of reverent, which derives from Latin reverēns, meaning "showing respect," built from Latin re- (again) and verēri (to fear or respect), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European wer-.

irreverent (English): Lacking respect; not having or not showing...

Definitions

  1. Lacking respect; not having or not showing...

Ancestry of “irreverent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinirreverensdisrespectful, irreverent
2Latinreverensrespecting; respectful, reverent; reverent
3LatinrevereorI stand in awe , regard, respect, honor,...
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “irreverent”

  • irreverently
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →