Etymograph

English

indignity

Indignity comes from Latin indignitās ‘unworthiness’, from dignus ‘worthy’, 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 CEdignus1‘worthy’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignus2‘unworthy of, undeserving of’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignitās3‘unworthiness’
  7. Englishtodayindignity3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin indignus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin indignitas
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English indignity

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-Wiktionary, Latin indignus‘to take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-noWiktionary, Latin indignusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dek-no-Wiktionary, Latin indignusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdignusWiktionary, Latin indignus‘worthy’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignusWiktionary, Latin indignitas‘unworthy of, undeserving of’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindignitāsWiktionary, English indignity‘unworthiness’
  7. EnglishtodayindignityWiktionary, English indignity

Linked words

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

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

through Latin dignus ‘worthy’

disdain, dainty, deign, digne, dignitary, 9 more

Today it means

noun degradation, debasement or humiliation

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “indignity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin indignus, Latin indignitas. 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- / indignity

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