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Where does the word "haughty" come from? It comes from Latin altus, passing through Old French before entering English (1500s).
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Where does the word "haughty" come from? It comes from Latin altus, passing through Old French before entering English (1500s).
Haughty’s story begins in Latin: altus meant “high.” The h came from Frankish 'hoh', high. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as haut. 'haute cuisine' keeps the French word. It reached English by 1500s as haughty. Formed in English from 'haught' plus -y. Today, haughty means arrogantly superior.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient altus "high", the h came from Frankish 'hoh', high.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval haut "high, proud", 'haute cuisine' keeps the French word.
- Stage 3 · English · 1500s haughty "proud", formed in English from 'haught' plus -y.