Where does “penitence” come from?
Penitence comes from Middle English penitence, from Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia, derived from the Latin verb paeniteo meaning to feel regret or repent, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root peh₁-.
penitence (English): The condition of being penitent; a feeling of...
Definitions
- The condition of being penitent; a feeling of...
Ancestry of “penitence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | penitence | — |
| 2 | Old French | penitence | penitence (repentance for one's sins) |
| 3 | Latin | paenitentia | repentance, penitence, regret; penance;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μετάνοια | afterthought, repentance |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μετανοέω | to perceive afterwards or too late; to change... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | νοέω | to perceive, observe, see, notice; to think,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | νόος | mind; an act of mind; the sense or meaning of a... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |