Words & WritingGreek → English
Apology
/əˈpɒlədʒi/noun
An expression of regret for something you did.
The Greek roots
ἀπό
apó
away, back
λόγος
lógos
speech, account
Literally: “a speaking back”
The story of the word
An ἀπολογία was the speech from the defence bench, the answer to a κατηγορία, the accusation. Plato's Apology contains no regret whatever; Socrates is arguing that he should be acquitted and that Athens owes him free dinners. The remorse sense settled in English only during the 16th century, and the old meaning still hides in titles like Newman's Apologia.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
- First recorded
- 15th century
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
Same family
apologeticsapologistcategoryeulogy
In a sentence
The apology arrived by email, which told her everything about how much it cost him.