English
beauty
Beauty comes from Old French beauté, from Vulgar Latin *bellitātem ‘beauty’, from Latin bellus ‘beautiful’, from Old Latin duenos ‘good’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos1‘good’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos1‘good’
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*duenelos1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbellus1‘beautiful, pretty’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*bellitātem1‘beauty’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400beauté1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bewty1
- Englishearliest quotation 1653beauty1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English beauty
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1653, The Mysteriousness and Duties of Marriage.] Part II.”: “Menander in the comedy brings in a man turning…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenosWiktionary, English beauty‘good’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenosWiktionary, English beauty‘good’
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*duenelosWiktionary, English beautyreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbellusWiktionary, English beauty‘beautiful, pretty’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*bellitātemWiktionary, English beauty‘beauty’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400beautéWiktionary, English beauty
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bewtyWiktionary, English beauty
- Englishearliest quotation 1653beautyWiktionary, English beauty. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1653, The Mysteriousness and Duties of Marriage.] Part II.”: “Menander in the comedy brings in a man turning…”
The story
In this sense, mostly displaced native Old English fæġernes, whence Modern English fairness.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, tow, dynasty, dun, dynamo, dynastic, tine, taw, benefice, 94 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
bonus, ben, optimal, beneficial, rebellion, bonnie, optimism, boon, beneficiary, rebellious, bonny, bene, rebelling, bonbon, 38 more
through Old Latin duenos
through Old Latin *duenelos
rebel, revel, bellicose, 20 more
through Latin bellus ‘beautiful, fair’
Today it means
noun The quality of being (especially visually) attractive, pleasing, fine or good-looking; comeliness.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “beauty”. 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-Italic *dwenos / beauty