Etymology Map
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Peccadillo

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a small, relatively unimportant offence or sin

Where does the word "peccadillo" come from? It comes from Latin peccātum, passing through Spanish before entering English (1590s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
peccātum
Latin · ancient
"sin"
a sin, from 'peccāre', to sin
2
Stage 2 of 3
pecadillo
Spanish · 1500s
"small sin"
'little sin'
3
Stage 3 of 3
peccadillo
English · 1590s
"minor fault"
respelled after the Latin 'pecc-'
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Read the full story

Peccadillo’s story begins in Latin: peccātum meant “sin.” A sin, from 'peccāre', to sin. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as pecadillo. 'little sin'. It reached English by 1590s as peccadillo. Respelled after the Latin 'pecc-'. Today, peccadillo means a small, relatively unimportant offence or sin.