Etymology

response

re·sponse
R1E1S1P3O1N1S1E1

Today it means: An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply. Full definition →

Middle English respounse ← Old French respuns ← Latin respōnsum
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The story

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*spend-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*spondéyeti
  5. Proto-Italic*spondejō
  6. Proto-Italic*spondeō
  7. Latinspondeō
  8. Latinrespondeō
  9. Latinrespōnsum
  10. Old Frenchrespuns
  11. Middle Englishrespounse
  12. English todayresponse

From Middle English respounse, respons, from Old French respons, respuns, responce, ultimately from the Latin respōnsum, a nominal use of the neuter form of respōnsus, the perfect passive participle of respondeō, from re (“again”) + spondeō (“promise”). Doublet of responsum.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.