Etymograph

English

justification

Justification comes from Middle French justification ‘justification (all senses)’, from Late Latin iustifico ‘to act justly (towards)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- ‘right, justice, law’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yew-1‘right, justice, law’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwos1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jowos1‘court of law’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCE*iowos1reconstructed
  5. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEiovestos1
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiustus2‘just, righteous’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEiustifico2‘to act justly (towards)’
  8. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEiustificationem2
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600justification2‘justification (all senses)’
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500justificacioun2
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1999justification2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin iustus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English justification
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Jus: “[…] to articulate a common understanding of our justification…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yew-Wiktionary, Latin iustus‘right, justice, law’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwosWiktionary, Latin iustusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jowosWiktionary, Latin iustus‘court of law’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCE*iowosWiktionary, Latin iustusreconstructed
  5. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEiovestosWiktionary, Latin iustus
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiustusWiktionary, English justification‘just, righteous’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEiustificoWiktionary, English justification‘to act justly (towards)’
  8. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEiustificationemWiktionary, English justification
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600justificationWiktionary, English justification‘justification (all senses)’
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500justificaciounWiktionary, English justification
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1999justificationWiktionary, English justification. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Jus: “[…] to articulate a common understanding of our justification…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- ‘right, justice, law’

yet, jurist, injurious, 25 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂yéwos

prejudge, 23 more

through Proto-Italic *jowos ‘court of law’

judge, judgment, judicial, preach, judiciary, prejudice, predicament, predicate, judicious, adjudicate, judicature, 26 more

through Archaic Latin *iowos

jury, conjure, 13 more

through Latin iustus ‘just, righteous’

injustice, 6 more

Today it means

noun A reason, explanation, or excuse which someone believes provides convincing, morally acceptable support for behavior or for a belief or occurrence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “justification”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin iustus. 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 *h₂yew- / justification

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