English

business

/ˈbɪz.nɪs/
A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.

    Etymology graph

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    • borrowed
    • derived
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    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow

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    Origin

    From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishbisynes
      • inheritedOld Englishbisiġnes
        • partOld Englishbisiġ “busy, occupied, diligent”
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*bisīg “diligent; zealous; busy”
        • partOld English-nes
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*-nassī
            • inheritedProto-Germanic*-inassuz
    • surface analysisEnglishbusy “Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.”
    • borrowedHebrewפִּדְיוֹן “exchange; trade; redemption”
    • derivedPortugueseocupação “occupation; business”
    • derivedPortuguesebaixo “low”
    • surface analysisEnglish-ness “Appended in general, often informally, stylistically, or jocularly, for reification of an attribute.”

    Related: English busyness (doublet)

    Words built on it: by-business, business end, business case, bad business

    Sources