Where does “sanctimonious” come from?
Sanctimonious derives from Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sanctimonia, combining Latin sancio with the suffix -monia to denote sacred obligation or holiness.
sanctimonious (English): Making a show of being morally better than...
Definitions
- Making a show of being morally better than...
Ancestry of “sanctimonious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sanctimony | A hypocritical form of excessive piety,... |
| 2 | Middle French | sanctimonie | — |
| 3 | Latin | sānctimōnia | sanctity |
| 4 | Latin | sānctus | sacred, made inviolable, having been established as sacred |
| 5 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | Jacob |
| 8 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 9 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |