Middle English word hountee comes from Proto-Indo-European *kaw-, and later Proto-Germanic *hauniz (Despised, poor, miserable.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *kaw- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *hauniz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Despised, poor, miserable. |
| *hauniþō | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Humiliation. Humility. |
| *hōnitha | Frankish (frk) | |
| *haunta | Latin (lat) | |
| *hōnta | Vulgar Latin (la-vul) | |
| honte | Old French (fro) | Shame (feeling). |
| hountee | Middle English (enm) |