Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “merchantability” come from?

Merchantability derives from English merchant, from Middle English marchant, from Old French marcheant, from Latin mercans, ultimately from Latin merx meaning goods or wares.

merchantability (English): The state of being merchantable

Definitions

  1. The state of being merchantable

Ancestry of “merchantability”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-abilityability, inclination or suitability for a...
2Middle English-ablete—
3Middle French-ableté—
4Latin-abilitas—
5Latin-ibilis-able; able or worthy to be
6Latin-bilis-ble
7Proto-Italic-ðlis—
8Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis—
9Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom →