Where does “cheap” come from?

Cheap comes from Middle English chapien, from Old English cēap, from Proto-Germanic kaupōną, from Latin caupo meaning innkeeper or merchant, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kaup-.

cheap (English): Trade; traffic; chaffer; chaffering; A market;...

Definitions

  1. Trade; traffic; chaffer; chaffering; A market;...

Ancestry of “cheap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchep—
2Old Englishcēapcattle, purchase, sale, traffic, business,...
3Proto-Germanickaupōnąto buy; trade
4Proto-Germanickaupôinnkeeper; merchant
5LatincaupoTradesman; Innkeeper, shopkeeper
6Proto-Indo-Europeankaup-—

Words derived from “cheap”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kaup- →
cheap — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer