Etymologically
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dignity

Etymology and origin of the English word dignity

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1225
Borrowed from
Old French digneté via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*deḱ-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdɪɡnɪti/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English dignete, borrowed from Old French digneté (“dignity, privilege, honour”) (modern French dignité),[2][3][4] from Latin dignitās, dignitātem, worthiness,[2][3] from dignus, worthy, fitting (related to decēre, to be proper; see decent),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *dek-, to take, accept.[3] It is a doublet of dainty.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The quality of being worthy or honourable: before 1225 in the OED, probably before 1200 in the Ancrene Riwle in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Honourable or high estate, rank, is from about 1230,[6] and an elevated office, civil or ecclesiastical, from about 1290 (about 1300).[6][3] A person holding such an office is from about 1450.[6] Gravity of countenance is from the late 14th century,[3] and nobility or stateliness of manner from 1667, the 17th century in Hoad.[6][4] Dignitary is from 1672.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1225 – worthiness.[6]
  • c. 1230 – high rank.[6]
  • c. 1290 – a high office.[6]
  • late 14th century – gravity of manner.[3]
  • 1667 – stateliness.[6]
  • 1672 – dignitary.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The quality of being worthy of respect or honour.
  2. A calm, serious and self-respecting manner; stateliness.
  3. A sense of self-respect or self-importance: beneath his dignity.
  4. A high office or rank, or a person holding it.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Dignity.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/dignity. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·