Etymologically
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honte

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɔ̃t/[1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): /hɔ̃t/[1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): [hɔ̃n][1]

Forms

honte f (plural hontes)[1] Old French hunte (1080). The ⟨h⟩ is aspirated: la honte.[2][3] The word was once of both genders.[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Frankish *haunipa (“disdain, contempt, mockery”) (also “*haunita”), from the same root as honnir.[3][5][6][2][7] The Frankish word is reconstructed from Old High German hōnida (“dishonour”) and Middle Dutch hoonde (“dishonour”) (compare German Hohn), and, from a Latinised “haunitas” in the Reichenau glosses, translating ignōminia.[3][5] Wiktionary gives Proto-Germanic *hauniþō (“humiliation”) and compares Old English hīenþu.[1]

Compare Old Occitan anta and Italian onta.[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) hunte is dishonour: Si me gardez et de mort et de hunte “guard me from death and dishonour”.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

From dishonour came an affront, humiliation (1174–76), in faire hunte à qqn “to outrage someone”.[3][5] Boire honte (about 1223) was to suffer every kind of insult, whence avoir toute honte bue (first half of the 15th century), to be past all shame.[3][5] In the 15th century it meant modesty, and before 1563 bashfulness (La Boétie), a sense lost from standard French but comparable to its use in African French for respectful decency towards elders.[5][3] Une honte is a shameful thing (1538), and the painful feeling of humiliation is recorded in 1611, whence faire honte à qqn “to reproach someone” (after 1650).[5] Rabelais's courte honte “quick failure” (1552) has fallen out of use except in en être pour sa courte honte.[5][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Hunte, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • 1174–76 – Faire hunte, to outrage.[3]
  • c. 1223 – Boire honte, Gautier de Coinci.[3]
  • 15th century – Avoir toutes ses hontes bues.[3]
  • 1552 – Courte honte, Rabelais.[3]
  • before 1563 – Bashfulness, La Boétie.[3]
  • 1611 – The feeling of shame, Cotgrave.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. shame, dishonour, disgrace: couvrir qqn de honte, être la honte de sa famille, c'est une honte ![9][1]
  2. The feeling of shame or embarrassment: avoir honte, rougir de honte, faire honte à qqn.[1][5]
  3. Fausse honte, mauvaise honte: misplaced bashfulness.[8][1]
  4. Avoir toute honte bue: to be past all shame.[1][5]
  5. (African French) Modesty, respectful reserve.[5]

Word family

  • honteux
  • éhonté
  • honnir

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 181b
  8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert