Where does “respect” come from?
Respect comes from Middle English respect, from Old French respect, from Latin respectus, the past participle of respicere, meaning "to look back at or regard," formed from re- "back" and specere "to look," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
respect (English): an attitude of consideration or high regard; good...
Definitions
- an attitude of consideration or high regard; good...
Ancestry of “respect”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | respect | — |
| 2 | Old French | respect | — |
| 3 | Latin | respectus | respected; looking back; regard, consideration,... |
| 4 | Latin | respiciō | to look behind, look back at or upon, look to, look around |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |