Where does “justify” come from?
Justify comes from Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Latin iustificare, combining iustus (just) and facio (to make), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- (to put or place).
justify (English): To provide an acceptable explanation for; To be a...
Definitions
- To provide an acceptable explanation for; To be a...
Ancestry of “justify”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | justifien | — |
| 2 | Old French | justifier | to show to be innocent |
| 3 | Latin | iustificō | to act justly (towards) |
| 4 | Latin | iūstus | just, righteous |
| 5 | Latin | iūs | law, right |
| 6 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 7 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 8 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 9 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 10 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 11 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 12 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 13 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |