Resent: The word *scent* — as in the… | etymologist.ai
resent
/rɪˈzɛnt/·verb·c. 1609, in English prose, with neutral sense 'to feel strongly'; negative sense dominant by c. 1660·Established
Origin
From Latin *sentire* (to feel, ultimately from PIE *sent-, to travel a path), through French *ressentir* (to feel strongly), *resent* narrowed over the 17th century from neutral emotional intensity to its modern meaning of festering grievance — making it a cousin of *sentence*, *scent*, and even the archaic English *sith* (since).
Definition
To feel indignation or bitterness toward a person or action as a result of perceiving a slight, insult, or injustice.
The Full Story
Old French / Latin14th–17th centurywell-attested
The English verb 'resent' entered the language in the early 17th century, attested by around 1609–1620, borrowed from Middle French 'ressentir', meaning 'to feel strongly, to feel again, to experience an emotion keenly'. TheFrenchverb is a compound of the prefix 're-' (again, back, intensive) and 'sentir' (to feel, to sense), from Latin 'sentire' (to feel, perceive, be of an opinion). The earliest English uses were largely neutral or positive in register — one could 'resent' a kindness
a semantic specialisation characteristic of the period. Latin 'sentire' descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *sent- (to go, to head for, to perceive by moving toward), with the underlying notion being that perception involves directed motion or orientation. The PIE root *sent- also yields English 'sense', 'sentence', 'sentiment', 'consent', 'assent', 'dissent', 'presentiment', and 'scent' (via a variant form). In Germanic, the same PIE root produced Old High German 'sinnan' (to travel, to strive, to think) and Old English 'sīþ' (journey, way), illustrating the original spatial metaphor of directed movement becoming metaphorically extended to mental or sensory orientation. Key roots: *sent- (Proto-Indo-European: "to go, to head for a direction; extended to perception as directed orientation"), sentire (Latin: "to feel, to perceive, to be of an opinion"), re- (Latin: "again, back, intensive prefix — here reinforcing the completeness or force of the feeling").