Where does “modest” come from?
Modest comes from Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus meaning "keeping due measure," derived from Latin modus meaning "measure," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European med-.
modest (English): Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's...
Definitions
- Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's...
Ancestry of “modest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | modeste | — |
| 2 | Latin | modestus | moderate, calm, restrained, mild; modest,... |
| 3 | Latin | modus | measure; bound, limit; manner , way , method |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mēd- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |
Words derived from “modest”