Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “renown” come from?

Renown comes from Old French renon, formed from the prefix re- and a root derived from Latin re- and ultimately Proto-Indo-European wer-, meaning to speak or turn.

renown (English): Fame; celebrity; wide recognition; Reports of...

Definitions

  1. Fame; celebrity; wide recognition; Reports of...

Ancestry of “renown”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchrenounreputation; infamy
2Old Frenchre-re-
3Latinrĕ-—
4Latinprōdūcō—
5Latinprō-—
6Proto-Italic*pro-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
9Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “renown”

  • renowner
  • renownless
  • renownful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →