Etymograph

English

condone

Condone comes from Latin condōnō ‘to forgive’, from Proto-Italic *dōnāō ‘to give, present’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-1‘to give’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóh₃r̥ ~ *déh₃n̥s1uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃nom1‘gift’uncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnom1‘gift, present’uncertain
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnāō1‘to give, present’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnō1
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcondōnō2as condōnāre‘to forgive’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1963condone2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin condono
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English condone
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Margery Allingham, London: Chatto & Windus: “‘Then the father has a great fight with his…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-Wiktionary, Latin condono‘to give’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóh₃r̥ ~ *déh₃n̥sWiktionary, Latin condonouncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃nomWiktionary, Latin condono‘gift’uncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnomWiktionary, Latin condono‘gift, present’uncertain
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnāōWiktionary, Latin condono‘to give, present’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnōWiktionary, Latin condono
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcondōnōWiktionary, English condoneas condōnāre‘to forgive’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1963condoneWiktionary, English condone. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Margery Allingham, London: Chatto & Windus: “‘Then the father has a great fight with his…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’

data, date, add, die, addition, rent, delicious, tradition, surrender, dose, vent, treason, render, donor, additive, vendor, dow, rendezvous, rendition, antidote, dowry, anecdote, addendum, dowager, dative, perdition, dower, dacha, dati, endow, sconce, 39 more

through Latin dōnō

donation, donate, 5 more

Today it means

verb To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “condone”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin condono. 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 *deh₃- / condone

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