Where does “self-interest” come from?
self-interest (English) comes from English interest, from Old French interest, from French intérêt, from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse, from Latin esse, from Ancient Greek οὐσία, from Ancient Greek εἰμί.
self-interest (English): One's personal interest or advantage, especially...
Definitions
- One's personal interest or advantage, especially...
Ancestry of “self-interest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | interest | The price paid for obtaining, or price received... |
| 2 | Old French | interest | — |
| 3 | French | intérêt | interest; point |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | interesse | present active infinitive of intersum; to... |
| 5 | Latin | interesse | present active infinitive of intersum; to... |
| 6 | Latin | esse | present infinitive of sum; state, condition;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | οὐσία | that which is one's own, one's substance,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | εἰμί | To be, exist; live; To be; it is possible |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | ehmi | to be |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ésmi | first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ēs- | — |