Etymograph

English

respite

Respite comes from Old French respit ‘rest’, and goes back to Latin respectus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespectus1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400respit1‘rest’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1485respite1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English respite
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XX: “Thenne spake sir gawayn and sayd my lord Arthur…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespectusWiktionary, English respite
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400respitWiktionary, English respite‘rest’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1485respiteWiktionary, English respite. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XX: “Thenne spake sir gawayn and sayd my lord Arthur…”

Linked words

through Latin respectus

respect, 1 more

Today it means

noun A brief interval of rest or relief.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “respite”. 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 / Latin respectus / respite

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