Etymograph

English

admonition

Admonition comes from Latin admonitio ‘reminder’, from moneō ‘warn, advise’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-1‘to think, mind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*monéyeti1‘to cause to think, make think’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*man-eje-1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moneō1‘to remind, warn’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoneō1‘warn, advise’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmoneō2‘to remind, recall to the mind, make remember’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmonitio3‘reminder’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400amonicion3
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500amonicioun3
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1892admonition3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin admoneo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin admonitio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English admonition
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Plato: “But modesty cannot be implanted by admonition only—the elders…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-Wiktionary, Latin admoneo‘to think, mind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*monéyetiWiktionary, Latin admoneo‘to cause to think, make think’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*man-eje-Wiktionary, Latin admoneoreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moneōWiktionary, Latin admoneo‘to remind, warn’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoneōWiktionary, Latin admoneo‘warn, advise’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmoneōWiktionary, Latin admonitio‘to remind, recall to the mind, make remember’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmonitioWiktionary, English admonition‘reminder’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400amonicionWiktionary, English admonition
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500amoniciounWiktionary, English admonition
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1892admonitionWiktionary, English admonition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Plato: “But modesty cannot be implanted by admonition only—the elders…”

The story

The -d- was restored in English in the 17th century.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’

music, mind, money, amount, comment, mental, remain, museum, mouth, mountain, permanent, auto, min, mount, mention, mentor, mint, maya, monetary, imminent, amnesty, dementia, muse, eminent, menace, ming, prominence, mas, mandarin, mantra, monk, mosaic, monastery, amnesia, remnant, monte, mania, eminence, summons, manic, 112 more

through Proto-Indo-European *monéyeti ‘to cause to think, make think’

summon, 14 more

through Proto-Italic *moneō ‘to remind, warn’

monster, demonstration, monumental, monstrous, monstrosity, demonstrative, 14 more

through Latin moneō ‘warn, advise’

monitor, monument, muster, minter, 6 more

Today it means

noun A rebuke by an authority that one has erred and should not persist in one's actions.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “admonition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin admoneo, Latin admonitio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / admonition

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