Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “expense” come from?

Expense comes from Anglo-Norman expense, a noun derived from the verb expendre meaning to spend or disburse money.

expense (English): A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of...

Definitions

  1. A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of...

Ancestry of “expense”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishexpense—
2Old Frenchespense—
3Late Latinexpensanominative feminine singular of expēnsus;...
4Latinexpensusweighed; paid; judged
5Latinexpenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
6LatinexpendoI weigh; I pay out; I judge
7Latinex-out, away; throughout; thoroughly
8LatineThe name of the letter "E"; out of, from
9LatinexA name of the letter "X"; out of, from
10Latincommūnicō—
11Latincommūnis—
12Old Latincom(m)oinis—
13Proto-Italickommoinis—
14Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moy-ni-held in common
15Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
16Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
17Middle Englishkyt—

Words derived from “expense”

  • expenseful
  • expenseless
  • nonexpense
  • expensable
Every word from Middle English kyt →