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wrongdoing

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Etymology and origin of the English word wrongdoing

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1400 Rule of St Benet More words from the 14th century
Ultimate origins
Old Norse rangrEnglish doing
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English wrong
English wrongdoing

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɹɒŋˌduːɪŋ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wrongedoing,[2] formed from English wrong + doing.[3][2][4][5] Wrong in this sense is the noun, from late Old English wrang (“injustice”), ultimately from Old Norse.[6][3] Doing is the verbal noun of do, and the adjective uses the present participle instead.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, given to doing harm or injustice: about 1400, in a translation of the Benedictine Rule,[3] where the northern form wrangdoande renders Latin injuriosus (dated before 1425 in the Middle English Dictionary).[6] As a noun, it first appears in the OED in the Coventry Leet Book of 1480,[3] and Dictionary.com gives 1470–80,[5] but Etymonline dates it to the late 14th century,[4] and Merriam-Webster to the 14th.[2]

Semantic evolution

The noun has changed little in meaning, covering offences against both moral and established law.[3][2] Etymonline notes that it could also mean injustice done by one person to another, and physical damage suffered or inflicted.[4] The countable use, a single wrongful act, appears in the OED only from 1874.[3] The related wrongdoer is also from the late 14th century.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1400 – adjective, doing wrong or harm.[3][6]
  • 1480 – noun, offence against moral or established law.[3]
  • 1874 – a wrongful act.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Behaviour that breaks the moral or civil law; misconduct: The inquiry cleared the firm of any wrongdoing.[2][7][3]
  2. A single wrongful act; a transgression.[2][3][7]

Adjective

  1. Doing wrong or harm; given to wrongful actions.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e 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)
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Wrongdoing.” Etymologically, 5 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/wrongdoing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·