Where does “markdown” come from?

markdown (English) comes from English down, from Middle English doune, from Old English dūne, from Old English adūne, from Old English ofdūne, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.

markdown (English): A reduction in price in order to stimulate sales

Definitions

  1. A reduction in price in order to stimulate sales

Ancestry of “markdown”, step by step

markdown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English down

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdownFrom a higher position to a lower one; downwards;...
2Middle Englishdoune
3Old Englishdūnehill; down, downward
4Old Englishadūne
5Old Englishofdūneoff the hill; down
6Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
7Proto-Germanic*dūnā
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English mark

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishmark"Boundary, land within a boundary.";...
2Middle Englishmark
3Old Englishmearcmark, sign, character; boundary, limit
4Proto-West Germanicmarkuboundary, border
5Proto-Germanicmarkōborder, boundary; region, area
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmorǵ-edge, boundary, border; frontier, border
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-