respect (English)
Where does "respect" come from?
The word 'respect' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *speḱ-, meaning 'to see.' It evolved into the Latin 'respectus,' literally translating to 'a looking back,' before passing through Old French into Middle English. Over time, the literal act of looking back shifted to the abstract concept of holding someone in high regard.
Full etymology tree
- respect (English), 'hello, hi'
- inherited respect (Middle English)
- borrowed respect (Old French)
- inherited respectus (Latin), 'respected'
- derived respicio (Latin), 'to look behind, look back at or upon, look to, look around'
- compound re- (Latin), 'back, backwards'
- compound specio (Latin), 'to observe, watch, look at'
- inherited *spekjō (Proto-Italic), 'to observe, see'
- inherited *spéḱyeti (Proto-Indo-European), 'to be looking at, to keep looking at'
- inherited *spekjō (Proto-Italic), 'to observe, see'
- derived respicio (Latin), 'to look behind, look back at or upon, look to, look around'
- inherited respectus (Latin), 'respected'
- borrowed respect (Old French)
- inherited respect (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris