Where does “justice” come from?
justice (Middle English) comes from Old French justise, from Old French justice, from Latin iūstitia, from Latin iūstus, from Latin iūs, from Latin dīcō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
Ancestry of “justice”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | justise | revenge; retribution; justice; fairness; equality |
| 2 | Old French | justice | Alternative form of justise |
| 3 | Latin | iūstitia | — |
| 4 | Latin | iūstus | — |
| 5 | Latin | iūs | — |
| 6 | Latin | dīcō | — |
| 7 | Latin | -tiō | — |
| 8 | Latin | dissertātiō | — |
| 9 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 10 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 11 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 12 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 13 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
Words derived from “justice”