Where does “cheap” come from?

cheap (Middle English) comes from Middle English chapien, from Old English cēap, from Proto-Germanic kaupōną, from Proto-Germanic kaupô, from Latin caupo, from Proto-Indo-European kaup-.

cheap (Middle English): market

Definitions

  1. market

Ancestry of “cheap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchapien—
2Old Englishcēapcattle, purchase, sale, traffic, business,...
3Proto-Germanickaupōnąto buy; trade
4Proto-Germanickaupôinnkeeper; merchant
5LatincaupoTradesman; Innkeeper, shopkeeper
6Proto-Indo-Europeankaup-—

Words derived from “cheap”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kaup- →Every word from Latin caupo →Every word from Proto-Germanic kaupô →