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
- The state of being merchantable
Ancestry of “merchantability”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ability | ability, inclination or suitability for a... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ablete | — |
| 3 | Middle French | -ableté | — |
| 4 | Latin | -abilitas | — |
| 5 | Latin | -ibilis | -able; able or worthy to be |
| 6 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |