Where does “commodity” come from?

Commodity comes from Middle English commoditee, from Anglo-Norman commoditee, from Latin commoditas meaning "fitness" or "advantage," derived from Latin commodus meaning "suitable," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European med- meaning "to measure."

commodity (English): Anything movable that is bought and sold;...

Definitions

  1. Anything movable that is bought and sold;...

Ancestry of “commodity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcommoditee
2Anglo-Normancommoditee
3Latincommoditastimeliness; fitness, aptness; convenience
4Latincommoduscomfortable, commodious, suitable, useful;...
5Latincom-allomorph of con-
6Latincon-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing...
7Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
8Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
9Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
11Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
12Middle Englishkyt
13Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
14Old High Germankuti
15Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
16Proto-Germanickweduzresin
17Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
18Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “commodity

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū-Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet-Every word from Proto-Germanic kweduz