Etymograph

English

bancor

Bancor comes from French banque ‘bank’, from Italian banca ‘counter, moneychanger's table’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- ‘to bend, curve, arch’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeg-‘to bend, curve, arch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bankiz‘bench, counter’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*banki‘bench’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050bank‘bench’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentbanca‘counter, moneychanger's table’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600banque‘bank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘bank’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2010bancor

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeg-‘to bend, curve, arch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bankiz‘bench, counter’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*banki‘bench’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050bank‘bench’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentbanca‘counter, moneychanger's table’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600banque‘bank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘bank’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2010bancor

Earliest quotation: 2010, IMF, Reserve Accumulation and International Monetary Stability: “Absent significant monetary instability or an injunction for use…”

The story

Coined by John Maynard Keynes in 1940-42, based on French banque (‘bank’) and or (‘gold’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- ‘to bend, curve, arch’

back, beach, bitch, baker, batch, petite, baxter, petit, bicker, bichon, 8 more

through Proto-West Germanic *banki ‘bench’

bench, banquet, 4 more

through Middle French banque ‘bank’

bank, 1 more

through French banque ‘bank’

banque

Today it means

noun A hypothetical supranational currency.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- / bancor

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