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