Etymograph

English

arrogance

Arrogance comes from Latin arrogantia ‘an assuming, presumption’, from arrogāns ‘arrogating or appropriating something to…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ‘to ask’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-1‘to ask’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prokos1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprocus1‘wooer, suitor’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprocō1‘to ask, urge, demand’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErogō1‘to ask, enquire’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogō1‘to claim as one's own, arrogate to oneself, assume’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogāns1‘arrogating or appropriating something to oneself, claiming’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogantia2‘an assuming, presumption’
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600arrogance2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arrogaunce2
  11. Englishtodayarrogance2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin arrogantia
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English arrogance

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-Wiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘to ask’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prokosWiktionary, Latin arrogantiareconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprocusWiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘wooer, suitor’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprocōWiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘to ask, urge, demand’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErogōWiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘to ask, enquire’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogōWiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘to claim as one's own, arrogate to oneself, assume’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogānsWiktionary, Latin arrogantia‘arrogating or appropriating something to oneself, claiming’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarrogantiaWiktionary, English arrogance‘an assuming, presumption’
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600arroganceWiktionary, English arrogance
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arrogaunceWiktionary, English arrogance
  11. EnglishtodayarroganceWiktionary, English arrogance

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ‘to ask’

prayer, pray, precarious, postulate, deprecation, 27 more

through Latin rogō ‘to ask, enquire’

rogue, interrogation, derogatory, prerogative, derogation, 15 more

Today it means

noun The state of being arrogant; a type of extreme or foolish pride in which someone feels much superior to another.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “arrogance”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin arrogantia. 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 *preḱ- / arrogance

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