Where does “bank” come from?
bank (Middle English) comes from Old English banc, from Proto-West Germanic banki, from Proto-Germanic bankiz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeg- — to break.
bank (Middle English): the bank of a river or lake
Definitions
- the bank of a river or lake
Ancestry of “bank”, step by step
bank traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English banc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | banc | bank, hillock, embankment |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | banki | bench |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bankiz | a raised surface; bulge; hillock; slope; bench |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeg- | to break |
via Old English banca
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | banca | bench |