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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

cost

/kɒst/
To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price.

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    • derived
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    • meaning component
    • sound component
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English costen, from Old French coster, couster (“to cost”), from Medieval Latin cōstō, from Latin cōnstō (“stand together”).

    Etymology 2

    From Middle English cost, coust, from costen (“to cost”), from the same source as above.

    Etymology 3

    From Middle English cost, from Old English cost (“option, choice, possibility, manner, way, condition”), from Old Norse kostr (“choice, opportunity, chance, condition, state, quality”), from Proto-Germanic *kustuz (“choice, trial”) (or Proto-Germanic *kustiz (“choice, trial”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵéwstus (“to enjoy, taste”).

    Cognate with Icelandic kostur, German dialectal Kust (“taste, flavour”), Dutch kust (“choice, choosing”), North Frisian kest (“choice, estimation, virtue”), West Frisian kêst (“article of law, statute”), Old English cyst (“free-will, choice, election, the best of anything, the choicest, picked host, moral excellence, virtue, goodness, generosity, munificence”), Latin gustus (“taste”). Related to choose. Doublet of gusto.

    Etymology 4

    From Middle English coste, from Old French coste, from Latin costa. Doublet of coast and cuesta.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishcosten
      • borrowedOld Frenchcoster
        • inheritedMedieval Latincōstō
          • derivedLatincōnstō
            • inheritedProto-Italic*komstaēō
              • partProto-Italic*kom-
                • derivedProto-Italic*kom
                  • inheritedProto-Indo-European*ḱóm “with”
              • partProto-Italic*staēō
                • derivedProto-Indo-European*sth₂éh₁yeti
    • inheritedMiddle Englishcost
      • inheritedOld Englishcost “option, choice, possibility, manner, way, condition”
        • derivedOld Norsekostr “choice, opportunity, chance, condition, state, quality”
          • derivedProto-Germanic*kustuz “choice, trial”
            • derivedProto-Germanic*kustiz “choice, trial”
              • derivedProto-Indo-European*ǵéwstus “to enjoy, taste”
                • partProto-Indo-European*-tus
    • rootProto-Indo-European*ǵews- “to choose”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishcoste “rib; side of the body, flank; side of a building; face of a solid figure; coast, shore; bay, gulf; …”
      • derivedOld Frenchcoste “rib; side of an object; coast”
        • derivedLatincosta “a rib”
          • borrowedSpanishcostal
          • derivedLatinaurum “gold”

    Related: English coast (doublet), English gusto (doublet), English cuesta (doublet), Icelandic kostur, Dutch kust, North Frisian kest, West Frisian kêst, Old English cyst, Latin gustus

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price.
    2. To cause something to be lost; to cause the expenditure or relinquishment of.
    3. To require to be borne or suffered; to cause.
    4. To calculate or estimate a price.
    5. To cost (a person) a great deal of money or suffering.
    noun
    1. Amount of money, time, etc. that is required or used.
    2. A negative consequence or loss that occurs or is required to occur.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: cost