respect (English)
Where does "respect" come from?
The English word 'respect' traces back to the Latin 'respectus,' meaning 'a looking at' or 'regard,' which itself comes from a combination of 're-' (back) and 'speciō' (to see). This root, which flows back to the Proto-Indo-European term for 'to observe,' evolved through Old French before entering Middle English. Interestingly, 'respect' is a linguistic cousin to 'respite,' as both words share this common evolutionary path centered on the act of looking back at something.
Full etymology tree
- respect (English), 'an attitude of consideration or high regard'
- inherited respect (Middle English)
- borrowed respect (Old French)
- inherited respectus (Latin), 'respected'
- deverbal respiciō (Latin), 'to look behind, look back at or upon, look to, look around'
- compound re- (Latin), 'back, backwards'
- compound speciō (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'
- deverbal respiciō (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