Etymograph

English

indignation

Indignation comes from Latin indignātiō ‘displeasure, indignation, disdain’, from indignor ‘to scorn, resent’, 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*deḱ-no1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dek-no-1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdignus2‘worthy, appropriate’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignus2‘unworthy, not fitting’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignor2‘to scorn, resent’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignātiō2‘displeasure, indignation, disdain’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400indignation2
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500indignacioun2‘anger, ire, wrath’
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596indignation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin dignus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English indignation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “The Iron of it ſelfe, though heate red hot,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-Wiktionary, Latin dignus‘to take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-noWiktionary, Latin dignusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dek-no-Wiktionary, Latin dignusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdignusWiktionary, English indignation‘worthy, appropriate’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignusWiktionary, English indignation‘unworthy, not fitting’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignorWiktionary, English indignation‘to scorn, resent’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignātiōWiktionary, English indignation‘displeasure, indignation, disdain’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400indignationWiktionary, English indignation
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500indignaciounWiktionary, English indignation‘anger, ire, wrath’
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596indignationWiktionary, English indignation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “The Iron of it ſelfe, though heate red hot,…”

The story

Attested since ca. 1374.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

doctor, document, decent, tail, doctrine, decor, paradox, dogma, docile, dodo, doctrinal, fonda, dox, docent, 56 more

through Latin dignus ‘worthy, appropriate’

dignity, disdain, dainty, dignitary, deign, digne, 8 more

Today it means

noun An anger aroused by something perceived as an indignity, notably an offense or injustice.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “indignation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin dignus. 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- / indignation

Shirt and support for this word