Where does “commerce” come from?
Commerce derives from Middle French commerce, from Latin commercium, a compound of com- (together) and merx (merchandise), originally meaning the exchange of goods.
commerce (English): The exchange or buying and selling of...
Definitions
- The exchange or buying and selling of...
Ancestry of “commerce”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | commerce | — |
| 2 | Latin | commercium | Trade, traffic, commerce, exchange; Intercourse,... |
| 3 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 4 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 5 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 6 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |