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justify

Etymology and origin of the English word justify

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1300
Borrowed from
Old French justifier
Ultimate origin
Latin (iustus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒʌstɪfaɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English justifien, borrowed from Old French justifier (“to submit to court proceedings”),[2][3][4] from Christian Latin iūstificāre (“to do justice to, vindicate; make just”), from iustus (“just”) (see just) and facere, to make.[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To administer justice: about 1300 in Etymonline, before 1300 in the OED;[3][7] to govern or have charge, about 1378 in Barnhart.[2]

Semantic evolution

To execute justice on, condemn, is from 1340 and obsolete.[7] To show a person or action to be just or right is from the 14th century, in the Wycliffe Bible before 1382,[7][2] and in theology, to absolve or declare free from the penalty of sin, from 1382.[7] To declare blameless is from the 1520s.[3] Of circumstances, to afford justification, is from the 1630s (1635).[3][7] To make exact, now chiefly of adjusting type so that lines are even, is from the 1550s.[3][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – to administer justice.[3]
  • 1382 – to show to be right; to absolve.[7]
  • 1520s – to declare blameless.[3]
  • 1550s – to make exact.[3]
  • 1635 – of circumstances.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To show or prove to be right or reasonable.
  2. To be a good reason for: nothing justifies violence.
  3. (theology) To declare free from the guilt of sin.
  4. (printing) To adjust lines of text so that the margins are straight.

Word family

  • justifier
  • justifyingly
  • rejustify
  • -fy
  • just
  • justification
  • justifiable
  • unjustified
  • justice

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Justify.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/justify. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·