Where does “self-justify” come from?
self-justify (English) comes from English justify, from Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Latin iustificō, from Latin iūstus, from Latin iūs, from Latin dīcō, from Latin -tiō — limestone; chalk; the finish line.
self-justify (English): To provide self-justification, to justify or excuse oneself or itself
Definitions
- To provide self-justification, to justify or excuse oneself or itself
Ancestry of “self-justify”, step by step
self-justify traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English justify
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | justify | To provide an acceptable explanation for; To be a... |
| 2 | Middle English | justifien | — |
| 3 | Old French | justifier | to show to be innocent |
| 4 | Latin | iustificō | to act justly (towards) |
| 5 | Latin | iūstus | just, righteous |
| 6 | Latin | iūs | law, right |
| 7 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 8 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 9 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 10 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 11 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 12 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 13 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 14 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
via English Self
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Self | Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned) |
| 2 | Middle English | salve | Alternative form of sauf |
| 3 | Old English | sealf | salve |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |