Etymograph

English

candor

Candor comes from Latin candor ‘brightness, whiteness’, from candeō ‘to shine’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-1‘to shine, glow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō2‘to shine’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandor2‘brightness, whiteness’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1648candor2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin candeo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English candor
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1648, Robert Herrick, Hesperides: “Whilst thou didst keep thy Candor undefil'd, Deerly I…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-Wiktionary, Latin candeo‘to shine, glow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōWiktionary, Latin candeoreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeōWiktionary, English candor‘to shine’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandorWiktionary, English candor‘brightness, whiteness’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1648candorWiktionary, English candor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1648, Robert Herrick, Hesperides: “Whilst thou didst keep thy Candor undefil'd, Deerly I…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, glow’

candidature, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *kandēō

candida, 8 more

through Latin candeō ‘to shine’

candidate, chandler, candle, incendiary, chandelier, candid, incandescent, candela, 9 more

Today it means

noun The state of being sincere and open in speech; honesty in expression.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “candor”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin candeo. 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 *(s)kend- / candor

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