Where does “pidgin” come from?
Pidgin English derives from English pidgin, which comes from English business, from Middle English busines, from Old English bisiġnes meaning anxious care or occupation.
pidgin (English): An amalgamation of two disparate languages, used...
Definitions
- An amalgamation of two disparate languages, used...
Ancestry of “pidgin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Pidgin English | pidgin | business |
| 2 | English | business | A specific commercial enterprise or... |
| 3 | Middle English | busines | — |
| 4 | Old English | bisiġnes | business, busyness |
| 5 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |