Where does “billionaire” come from?
billionaire (English) comes from English billion, from French billion, from French -illion, from French million, from Middle French million, from Old French millon, from Italian milione, from Italian mille.
billionaire (English): Somebody whose wealth is greater than one billion...
Definitions
- Somebody whose wealth is greater than one billion...
Ancestry of “billionaire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | billion | cardinal... |
| 2 | French | billion | 10; a long scale billion; a short scale trillion |
| 3 | French | -illion | illion |
| 4 | French | million | million, 10 |
| 5 | Middle French | million | million, 10 |
| 6 | Old French | millon | — |
| 7 | Italian | milione | million |
| 8 | Italian | mille | thousand |
| 9 | Latin | Mīlle | thousand; 1000 |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | smīɣeslī | thousand |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ | — |