Tardiness
/ˈtɑːr.di.nəs/noun
The quality or state of being late.
Did you know?Tardiness comes from Latin *tardus*, meaning “slow” or “dull,” a root that also lives on in scientific words like *tardigrade* — the “slow stepper.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tṛd-
“to be slow, to delay”
Latin
Latin
tardus
“slow, late, sluggish”
Late Latin
Latin
tarditās
“slowness, sluggishness”
Old French
Old French
tardif
“late, slow”
Middle English
English
tardinesse
“lateness, slowness”
Modern English
English
tardiness
“the state of being late”
Explore more surprising origins