Etymograph

English

decoration

Decoration comes from Latin decorō ‘adorn, decorate’, from decus ‘pride, dignity’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-1‘to take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱos1‘that which is proper’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dekos1‘dignity’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecus1‘pride, dignity’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecorō2‘adorn, decorate’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecoratio3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1918decoration3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin decoro
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin decoratio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English decoration
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1918, William Babington Maxwell, Indianapolis: “There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-Wiktionary, Latin decoro‘to take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱosWiktionary, Latin decoro‘that which is proper’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dekosWiktionary, Latin decoro‘dignity’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecusWiktionary, Latin decoro‘pride, dignity’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecorōWiktionary, Latin decoratio‘adorn, decorate’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecoratioWiktionary, English decoration
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1918decorationWiktionary, English decoration. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1918, William Babington Maxwell, Indianapolis: “There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’

doctor, document, tail, decent, dignity, doctrine, paradox, disdain, dogma, dainty, docile, doctrinal, dodo, indignant, fonda, indignation, dox, dignitary, docent, digne, deign, 55 more

Today it means

noun The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “decoration”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin decoro, Latin decoratio. 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 *deḱ- / decoration

Shirt and support for this word