Where does “businessman” come from?
Businessman derives from English man, whose Middle English ancestor mon traces to Proto-Germanic mann-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men- meaning "to think" or "mind," with the occupational suffix -business from Middle English man.
businessman (English): A man in business, one who works at a commercial...
Definitions
- A man in business, one who works at a commercial...
Ancestry of “businessman”, 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... |