Etymograph

English

decorous

Decorous comes from Latin decōrus ‘becoming, fitting, proper, suitable’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-1‘to take’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecōrus1‘becoming, fitting, proper, suitable’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1664decorous1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English decorous
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1664, Henry More, London: […] James Flesher: “[B]oth the truth vvhich the Prophecy aims at is…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-Wiktionary, English decorous‘to take’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdecōrusWiktionary, English decorous‘becoming, fitting, proper, suitable’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1664decorousWiktionary, English decorous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1664, Henry More, London: […] James Flesher: “[B]oth the truth vvhich the Prophecy aims at is…”

Linked words

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

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

Today it means

adj Marked by behaviour, manners, etc., regarded as proper, tasteful, and in accordance with accepted standards; becoming, seemly.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “decorous”. 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- / decorous

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