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
- Trade; traffic; chaffer; chaffering; A market;...
Ancestry of “cheap”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | chep | — |
| 2 | Old English | cēap | cattle, purchase, sale, traffic, business,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kaupōną | to buy; trade |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kaupô | innkeeper; merchant |
| 5 | Latin | caupo | Tradesman; Innkeeper, shopkeeper |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kaup- | — |
Words derived from “cheap”