Where does “bank” come from?
bank (German) comes from Italian banco, from Old High German bank, from Proto-West Germanic banki, from Proto-Germanic bankiz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeg- — to break.
Ancestry of “bank”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | banco | desk; counter; bench, table |
| 2 | Old High German | bank | bench |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | banki | bench |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bankiz | a raised surface; bulge; hillock; slope; bench |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeg- | to break |