etiquette

The word 'etiquette' entered English in the mid-18th century from French, where it meant 'list of ceremonial observances of a court' or 'label, ticket'. The French term derived from Old French 'estiquette', meaning 'a note, label, or ticket'. This, in turn, came from the Germanic root stikkon-, meaning 'to stick, to prick', via the idea of a small stake or peg to which a notice was attached. The semantic evolution moved from a physical label or ticket that gave instructions, to the figurative 'label' or prescribed code of conduct for correct behaviour in formal settings. Thus, the modern abstract concept of social protocol originated from the concrete object used to post orders or notices.

This word is a loanword from French, borrowed as a complete unit. Its spelling and morphological structure are not productively analyzed into smaller, meaningful English morphemes.