English
piety
Piety comes from Latin pietās ‘piety, conscientiousness, scrupulousness’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pewH- ‘to be clean, pure’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewH-‘to be clean, pure’root as named
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pwījotātsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpietās‘piety, conscientiousness, scrupulousness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600pieté
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500piete‘mercifulness, compassion, sympathy’
- Englishearliest quotation 2025piety
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewH-‘to be clean, pure’root as named
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pwījotātsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpietās‘piety, conscientiousness, scrupulousness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600pieté
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500piete‘mercifulness, compassion, sympathy’
- Englishearliest quotation 2025piety
Earliest quotation: 2025, Larry Sanger, 2. Enable competing articles.: “Those who dwell outside of Western Establishment bastions are…”
Equivalent to pious + -ety
Proto-Indo-European *pewH- ‘pure’
Proto-Italic *pīos ‘pious, devout’
Latin pius ‘pious, dutiful, blessed, kind, devout’
English pious
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewH- ‘to be clean, pure’
pure, reputation, deputy, pour, purity, purification, purify, pious, putative, purist, purée, puro, expiation, 17 more
through Latin pietās ‘piety, conscientiousness, scrupulousness’
Today it means
noun Reverence and devotion to God.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewH- / piety