English
justify
Justify comes from Old French justifier ‘to show to be innocent’, from Late Latin justificare ‘make just’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- ‘right, justice, law’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yew-‘right, justice, law’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jowos‘court of law’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCE*iowosreconstructed
- Archaic Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCEiovestos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiūstusas justus‘just’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEjustificare‘make just’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400justifier‘to show to be innocent’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500justifien
- Englishearliest quotation 1591justify
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yew-‘right, justice, law’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jowos‘court of law’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCE*iowosreconstructed
- Archaic Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCEiovestos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiūstusas justus‘just’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEjustificare‘make just’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400justifier‘to show to be innocent’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500justifien
- Englishearliest quotation 1591justify
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “I cannot justify whom the law condemns.”
Formed from just + -ify
Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- ‘straight, right’
…
Old Latin iovestos
Latin iūstus ‘just, righteous’
Old French juste
Middle English juste
English just
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- ‘right, justice, law’
yet, jurist, injurious, 25 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂yéwos
through Proto-Italic *jowos ‘court of law’
judge, judgment, judicial, preach, judiciary, prejudice, predicament, predicate, judicious, adjudicate, judicature, 26 more
through Archaic Latin *iowos
through Latin iūstus ‘just’
Today it means
verb To provide an acceptable explanation for.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- / justify