*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of judge

From Middle English juge, jugge, from Old French juge, from Latin iūdex. Displaced native Middle English deme (from Old English dēma (“judge”)) and demere (from Old English dēmere (“judge”)), see also deemer, deemster.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A public official whose duty it is to administer the law, especially by presiding over trials and rendering judgments; a justice. · A person who decides the fate of someone or something that has been called into question. · A person officiating at a sports event, a contest, or similar; referee. · A person who evaluates something or forms an opinion.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English juge, jugge, from Old French juge, from Latin iūdex. Displaced native Middle English deme (from Old English dēma (“judge”)) and demere (from Old English dēmere (“judge”)), see also deemer, deemster.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*h₂yew-ine-pro
  • Root classification mention*deyḱ-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionjugeenm
  • Derivation mentionjugefro
  • Derivation mentioniūdexla
  • Non-cognate comparisondemeenm
  • Non-cognate comparisondēmereang · judge

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂yew-",
        "4": "*deyḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "juge"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English juge"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "juge"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French juge"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "iūdex",
        "4": "iūdex"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin iūdex"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "deme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English deme"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "dēma",
        "t": "judge"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dēma (“judge”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "dēmere",
        "t": "judge"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dēmere (“judge”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "juge",
      "juge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "jugge",
      "jugge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "juge",
      "juge#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "iūdex",
      "iudex#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "deme",
      "deme#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dēma",
      "dema#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "demere",
      "demere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dēmere",
      "demere#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "deemer",
      "deemer#English"
    ],
    [
      "deemster",
      "deemster#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Assamese",
      "lang_code": "as",
      "word": "জজ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "zoz"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "জজ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "joj"
    },
    {
      "lang_code": "unknown",
      "lang": "→ Hindustani",
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "word": "जज",
          "roman": "jaj"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "lang_code": "ur",
          "word": "جَج",
          "roman": "jaj"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Odia",
      "lang_code": "or",
      "word": "ଜଜ୍",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "jaj"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tamil",
      "lang_code": "ta",
      "word": "ஜட்ஜி",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "jaṭji"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "lang_code": "te",
      "word": "జడ్జ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "jaḍja"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A public official whose duty it is to administer the law, especially by presiding over trials and rendering judgments; a justice.",
        "A person who decides the fate of someone or something that has been called into question.",
        "A person officiating at a sports event, a contest, or similar; referee.",
        "A person who evaluates something or forms an opinion."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 38213
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To sit in judgment on; to pass sentence on (a person or matter). · To sit in judgment, to act as judge. · To judicially rule or determine. · To sentence to punishment, to judicially condemn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English jugen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman juger, from Old French jugier, from Latin iūdicāre. Doublet of judicate. Partly displaced native deem.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 8 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂yew-",
        "4": "*deyḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "jugen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English jugen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "juger"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman juger"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "jugier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French jugier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "iūdicō",
        "4": "iūdicāre"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin iūdicāre"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "judicate"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of judicate"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "jugen",
      "jugen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "juger",
      "juger#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "jugier",
      "jugier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "iūdicāre",
      "iudico#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "judicate",
      "judicate#English"
    ],
    [
      "deem",
      "deem#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sit in judgment on; to pass sentence on (a person or matter).",
        "To sit in judgment, to act as judge.",
        "To judicially rule or determine.",
        "To sentence to punishment, to judicially condemn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for judge →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-anVkZ2U