apology (English)
Where does "apology" come from?
The English noun 'apology' was borrowed from French 'apologie'[1], which derived from Late Latin 'apologia'[1][3]. Latin had adopted the term from Ancient Greek 'apología', meaning 'a speech in defence'[1][2]. The Greek compound combined 'apó', meaning 'from' or 'off'[1], with 'lógos', meaning 'speech'[1][4], originally reflecting a formal spoken defense rather than an admission of regret. Over time, as it passed from ecclesiastical and legal contexts into broader use, the sense shifted toward an expression of remorse for a wrongdoing.
Full etymology tree
- apology (English), 'An expression of remorse or regret for having said or done something that harmed another: an instance of apologizing (saying that one is sorry).'
- borrowed apologie (French), 'apology (formal justification, defence)'
- learned borrowing apologia (Latin), 'a defense, apology'
- borrowed ἀπολογία (apología) (Ancient Greek), 'a speech made in defense of something; apology'
- derived ἀπολογοῦμαι (apologoûmai) (Ancient Greek), 'contraction of ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai)'
- derived ἀπόλογος (apólogos) (Ancient Greek), 'story, tale'
- prefix ἀπο- (apo-) (Ancient Greek), 'Indicating movement: away, from, off'
- derived λόγος (lógos) (Ancient Greek), 'that which is said: word, sentence, speech, story, debate, utterance, argument'
- inherited *lógos (Proto-Hellenic)
- inherited *leǵ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to speak by carefully selecting one's words.'
- inherited *lógos (Proto-Hellenic)
- derived ἀπόλογος (apólogos) (Ancient Greek), 'story, tale'
- derived ἀπολογοῦμαι (apologoûmai) (Ancient Greek), 'contraction of ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai)'
- borrowed ἀπολογία (apología) (Ancient Greek), 'a speech made in defense of something; apology'
- learned borrowing apologia (Latin), 'a defense, apology'
- borrowed apologie (French), 'apology (formal justification, defence)'
Ancestors
- apologie (French)
- apologia (Latin)
- ἀπολογία (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- apologia (English)
Descendants and derived words
- antapology (English)
- apologee (English)
- apologian (English)
- apologian (English)
- apologise (English)
- apologism (English)
- apologist (English)
- apologize (English)
- apologizer (English)
- fauxpology (English)
- ifpology (English)
- my apology (English)
Sources
- apology (English) - Wiktionary
- apologia (Latin) - Wiktionary
- apologie (French) - Wiktionary
- ἀπολογία (apología) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- λόγος (lógos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- ἀπόλογος (apólogos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- ἀπό (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris