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reconciliation

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Etymology and origin of the English word reconciliation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1390
Borrowed from
Old French reconciliacion via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin conciliō

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɹɛk(ə)nsɪlɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]
  • US: /ˌɹɛkənˌsɪliˈeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English reconciliacioun, also reconsiliacioun,[2][3] borrowed from Old French reconciliacion and directly from Latin reconciliātiō (“a re-establishing, a reconciling”),[3][2][4][5] the noun of action from reconciliātus, the past participle of reconciliō (“to bring together again, reconcile”).[6][7][8] The form Anglo-Norman reconciliaciun is recorded from 1267, meaning the restoring of friendly relations and the reconciling of a sinner with God through confession.[9][4] The Latin verb is formed from re- (“again”) and conciliō (“to make friendly”),[3] and is the source of reconcile.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The restoring of humankind to God's favour, especially through the sacrifice of Christ: about 1390.[4] Etymonline dates the word to the mid-14th century and notes that it was at first used especially of God and sinners.[3] The MED's senses include both the reaching of accord between people and the reconciliation of God and the sinner.[2]

Semantic evolution

By the end of the 14th century, in Trevisa's translation of Bartholomaeus Anglicus, the word was also used of restoring estranged people or parties to friendship.[4] Chaucer used it once.[10] In the 16th century it gained church senses: the reconsecration of a desecrated church (1533) and the readmission of a person to a church, especially the Roman Catholic Church (1551).[4] From 1560 it also meant the bringing of things into agreement, or the making of statements consistent,[4] a sense Etymonline dates from 1729.[3] Johnson (1755) gave "renewal of friendship" and "agreement of things seemingly opposite".[11] In Roman Catholic use the sacrament of reconciliation, another name for penance, is recorded from 1624,[4][5][12] and in bookkeeping the word has meant the balancing of one account against another since 1895.[4] Older English nouns for the same idea were reconciling (late 14th century) and reconcilement (mid-15th century).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1390 – the restoring of humankind to God's favour.[4]
  • before 1398 – the restoring of estranged people to friendship.[4][2]
  • 1533 – the reconsecration of a desecrated church.[4]
  • 1551 – the readmission of a person to a church.[4]
  • 1560 – the bringing of things into agreement; making consistent.[4]
  • 1624 – the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance.[4]
  • 1895 – in bookkeeping, the balancing of one account against another.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The restoring of friendly relations after a quarrel or estrangement, or the state of being reconciled: The two brothers sought a reconciliation after years of silence.
  2. The making of two ideas, statements or facts consistent or compatible with each other.
  3. (accounting) The comparing and adjusting of one account against another so that they agree.
  4. (Roman Catholic Church) The sacrament of penance, in which sins are confessed and absolution is given.
  5. (Christianity) The restoring of humankind to God's favour.

Word family

  • reconciliatory
  • nonreconciliation
  • conciliate
  • conciliator
  • conciliatory
  • reconcilable
  • reconcile
  • reconciliate
  • irreconcilable
  • nonreconcilable
  • unreconcilable
  • unreconciled
  • unreconciling
  • council

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  10. ^ Benson, Larry D., Glossarial Concordance to Middle English (Chaucer, Gower), Johns Hopkins University, github.com/jhu-digital-manuscripts/gcme
  11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  12. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Reconciliation.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/reconciliation. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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