Etymologically
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innocence

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɪnəsn̩s/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French innocence (“innocence; purity, chastity”),[2][3] recorded in French from the 12th century,[2][3] from Latin innocentia (“blamelessness, harmlessness”),[2][4] from innocēns (“harmless, blameless”),[2][4] formed with in- (“not”) from nocēns (“harming”), the present participle of noceō (“to hurt, harm”).[5][6] The Anglo-Norman word already covered lack of guilt, purity and naivety in the 12th century.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Freedom from sin or moral wrong: 1340, in the Ayenbite of Inwyt.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From moral purity the word passed to guilelessness and simplicity, in Chaucer's Legend of Good Women (about 1385), a sense that could also mean plain ignorance or silliness;[3] Etymonline dates the meaning "lacking in guile", as of childhood, to the late 14th century.[2] The legal sense, not being guilty of a particular charge, appears in the 1550s.[3][2] Around 1400 it could also mean an innocent person or thing,[3] and Merriam-Webster records the sense of chastity.[8] Of things, the meaning "harmlessness" is recorded from Webster's dictionary of 1828.[3] In North America innocence is a popular name for the bluet, a small plant with blue flowers, from 1821.[3] Collins gives innocency as an archaic variant.[5]

Timeline

  • 1340 – freedom from sin.[3]
  • c. 1385 – guilelessness, simplicity, in Chaucer.[3]
  • c. 1400 – an innocent person or thing.[3]
  • 1559 – freedom from a specific guilt.[3]
  • 1821 – the bluet, a North American plant.[3]
  • 1828 – of things, harmlessness.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of not being guilty of a particular crime or offence.
  2. Freedom from sin or moral wrong; purity.
  3. Lack of experience of the world; naivety or simplicity.
  4. Harmlessness.
  5. (North America) The bluet, a small plant with blue flowers.

Word family

  • presumption of innocence

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster