English
response
Response comes from Old French respuns, from Latin respōnsum ‘answer’, from respondeō ‘to reply’ (re- + spondeō ‘to promise’).
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*spend-1‘to libate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*spondéyeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*spondeō1‘to promise’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspondeō1‘to promise’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespondeō1‘to reply’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespōnsus1‘answered’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespōnsum1‘answer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400respuns1‘response’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500respounse1
- Englishearliest quotation 2013response1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English response
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -August, Stents to Prevent Stroke: “As we age, the major arteries of our bodies…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*spend-Wiktionary, English response‘to libate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*spondéyetiWiktionary, English responsereconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*spondeōWiktionary, English response‘to promise’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspondeōWiktionary, English response‘to promise’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespondeōWiktionary, English response‘to reply’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespōnsusWiktionary, English response‘answered’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErespōnsumWiktionary, English response‘answer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400respunsWiktionary, English response‘response’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500respounseWiktionary, English response
- Englishearliest quotation 2013responseWiktionary, English response. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -August, Stents to Prevent Stroke: “As we age, the major arteries of our bodies…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *spend- ‘to libate’
through Latin spondeō ‘to promise, bind or pledge oneself, contract,…’
spouse, sponsor, despondent, 9 more
through Latin respondeō ‘to reply, answer, respond’
Today it means
noun An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “response”. 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 *spend- / response