Where does “payoff” come from?
Payoff derives from English pay-off, combining English pay (from Old French peier, Latin picare, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo meaning to fix or settle) with English off.
payoff (English): Alternative spelling of pay-off; Short for payoff...
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of pay-off; Short for payoff...
Ancestry of “payoff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pay-off | A payment; A reward; A bribe |
| 2 | English | pay | To give money or other compensation to in... |
| 3 | Middle English | payen | pagan |
| 4 | Old French | paiier | to pay |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | pacare | to settle, satisfy; present active infinitive of... |
| 6 | Latin | pācāre | — |
| 7 | Latin | pāx | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | pāks | peace |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | péh₂ḱ-s | peace |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ḱ- | to join, to attach; agreement, settlement |