Etymology

innocence

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Today it means: Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc. Full definition →

Middle English innocence ← Old French innocence ← Latin innocentia
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frominnocentia
  2. Old French · derived frominnocence
  3. Middle English · inherited frominnocence
  4. English todayinnocence

Inherited from Middle English innocence, from Old French innocence, inocence, from Latin innocentia. Doublet of innocency. Displaced native Old English unsċyld.

Words from the same roots

Latininnocentia all →

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.