English
biz
Biz comes from Middle English bisynes ‘business’, from Old English bisiġnes ‘solicitude’, and ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg ‘zealous, diligent, busy, eident’.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisīg‘zealous, diligent, busy, eident’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġ‘busy’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150bisiġnes‘solicitude’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bisynes‘business’
- English1500–presentbusiness
- Englishearliest quotation 1922biz
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisīg‘zealous, diligent, busy, eident’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġ‘busy’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150bisiġnes‘solicitude’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bisynes‘business’
- English1500–presentbusiness
- Englishearliest quotation 1922biz
Earliest quotation: 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses: “Relieving office here. Good biz for cheapjacks, organs. What…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- ‘to fear, be afraid’
through Old English bisiġ ‘busy’
through Old English bisiġnes ‘solicitude’
through English business
Today it means
noun Business, especially showbusiness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *bisīg / biz