bonhomous (English)
Where does "bonhomous" come from?
The English adjective 'bonhomous' is formed from the noun 'bonhomie' combined with the suffix '-ous'[1]. The underlying French word 'bonhomie' means good-heartedness or extreme credulity, deriving from 'bonhomme', which combines 'bon' meaning 'good' and 'homme' meaning 'man'[2]. These elements stretch back further through Latin and Proto-Italic roots, with 'homme' ultimately descending from the Latin 'hominem' and the Proto-Indo-European root '*ǵʰmṓ'[5], meaning earthling, while 'bon' traces to the Latin 'bonus'[4].
Open questions
- The ultimate derivation of the root involves reconstructed Proto-Indo-European forms such as '*dʰéǵʰōm' and '*ǵʰmṓ'. [2] [5]
Full etymology tree
- bonhomous (English), 'Good-natured; full of bonhomie.'
- suffix -ous (English), 'Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote:'
- derived bonhomie (English), 'A friendly, good-natured, pleasant manner; an affable and approachable disposition; friendliness.'
- borrowed bonhomie (French), 'affability, bonhomie'
- derived bonhomme (French), 'fellow, chap'
- compound bon (French), 'good'
- inherited bon (Middle French), 'good (virtuous, having positive qualities)'
- inherited bon (Old French), 'good (not evil)'
- inherited bonus (Latin), 'good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant'
- inherited duenos (Latin), 'alternative form of duonus'
- inherited *dwenos (Proto-Italic), 'good'
- inherited duenos (Latin), 'alternative form of duonus'
- inherited bonus (Latin), 'good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant'
- inherited bon (Old French), 'good (not evil)'
- inherited bon (Middle French), 'good (virtuous, having positive qualities)'
- compound homme (French), 'man (adult male human)'
- inherited homme (Middle French), 'man (male adult human being)'
- inherited home (Old French), 'man (male adult human being)'
- inherited hominem (Latin), 'accusative singular of homō'
- inherited hemo (Latin), 'alternative form of homō'
- inherited *hemō (Proto-Italic), 'man'
- inherited *ǵʰmṓ (Proto-Indo-European), 'human, Earthling'
- inherited *hemō (Proto-Italic), 'man'
- inherited hemo (Latin), 'alternative form of homō'
- inherited hominem (Latin), 'accusative singular of homō'
- inherited home (Old French), 'man (male adult human being)'
- inherited homme (Middle French), 'man (male adult human being)'
- compound bon (French), 'good'
- suffix -ie (French), 'indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one'
- derived bonhomme (French), 'fellow, chap'
- borrowed bonhomie (French), 'affability, bonhomie'
Ancestors
- bonhomie (English)
- ous (English)
Sources
- bonhomous (English) - Wiktionary
- bonhomie (English) - Wiktionary
- bonhomme (French) - Wiktionary
- bon (French) - Wiktionary
- homme (French) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris