Where does “pidgin” come from?
pidgin (Chinese Pidgin English) comes from English business, from Middle English busines, from Old English bisiġnes, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
pidgin (Chinese Pidgin English): business
Ancestry of “pidgin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | business | A specific commercial enterprise or... |
| 2 | Middle English | busines | — |
| 3 | Old English | bisiġnes | business, busyness |
| 4 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
Words derived from “pidgin”