entry
responsible
/rɪˈspɑːnsəbəl/accountable for actions or their consequences
From Latin re- (back) + Latin spondere (to pledge).
from Latin respons-, past-participle stem of respondere "respond, answer to, promise in return,"
from Latin *responsabilis)
from Old French responsable, responsible, formed
from Middle French responsable
Word Ancestry
from Latin respons-, past-participle stem of respondere "respond, answer to, promise in return,"
from Latin *responsabilis)
from Old French responsable, responsible, formed
from Middle French responsable
A responsible person is, etymologically, someone who must answer back. Latin respondēre combined re-, “back” or “in return,” with spondēre, “to pledge”—the same promise-making family that produced sponsor. By the 1640s, English responsible meant “answerable,” especially when an action had consequences; by the 1690s, it had acquired the warmer sense “reliable” or “trustworthy.” Picture a medieval official being summoned to explain a missing payment: responsibility was not merely good behavior but the obligation to show up and give an account. The useful legal distinction survives today: responsible describes the condition of being answerable, while liable more properly describes the actual obligation after a wrong has occurred. Remember the hidden scene inside the word: to be responsible is to have made a pledge—and to be ready when the world calls for your answer.
The Story
A responsible person is, etymologically, someone who must answer back. Latin respondēre combined re-, “back” or “in return,” with spondēre, “to pledge”—the same promise-making family that produced sponsor. By the 1640s, English responsible meant “answerable,” especially when an action had consequences; by the 1690s, it had acquired the warmer sense “reliable” or “trustworthy.” Picture a medieval official being summoned to explain a missing payment: responsibility was not merely good behavior but the obligation to show up and give an account. The useful legal distinction survives today: responsible describes the condition of being answerable, while liable more properly describes the actual obligation after a wrong has occurred. Remember the hidden scene inside the word: to be responsible is to have made a pledge—and to be ready when the world calls for your answer.
Modern Usage
Used humorously or sarcastically for someone expected to do chores or behave maturely, especially unlike a teenager.
Kin & Kindred
From 're-'·back, again, or in return
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'spondere'·to pledge, promise, or guarantee
Derived Terms
English words from this root