Where does “counterparty” come from?
Counterparty derives from Middle English counter- combined with Anglo-Norman partie, from Latin partitus (divided), ultimately from Latin pars (part).
counterparty (English): The other party to a financial transaction
Definitions
- The other party to a financial transaction
Ancestry of “counterparty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Party | — |
| 2 | Middle English | party | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman French | partie | — |
| 4 | Old French | partie | part; section |
| 5 | Old French | partir | to leave; to divide up |
| 6 | Latin | partiō | — |
| 7 | Latin | pars | part, side, piece, share; some; faction |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |