Etymograph

English

honorable

Honorable comes from Latin honōrābilis ‘honourable’, from honor ‘honor, repute’, and ultimately from Old Latin honōs.

  1. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEhonōs1earlier origin unknown
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonor2‘honor, repute’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonōrō3‘to honour’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonōrābilis3‘honourable’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400honorable3
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500honourable3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1872honorable3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin honor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin honoro
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English honorable
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, The Unkind Word: “Uncheered by friends, unhissed by foes, the honorable member…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEhonōsWiktionary, Latin honorearlier origin unknown
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonorWiktionary, Latin honoro‘honor, repute’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonōrōWiktionary, English honorable‘to honour’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhonōrābilisWiktionary, English honorable‘honourable’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400honorableWiktionary, English honorable
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500honourableWiktionary, English honorable
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1872honorableWiktionary, English honorable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1872, Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, The Unkind Word: “Uncheered by friends, unhissed by foes, the honorable member…”

The story

In this sense, largely displaced Old English ārfæst.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin honor ‘honor, repute’

dishonour, dishonor, 4 more

through Middle English honourable

honourable

Today it means

adj Behaving in a manner that shows honor; decent, having integrity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “honorable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin honor, Latin honoro. 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 / Old Latin honōs / honorable

Shirt and support for this word