English
bribe
Bribe comes from Old French briber ‘go begging’.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400briber‘go begging’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bribe
- Englishearliest quotation 1744bribe
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400briber‘go begging’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bribe
- Englishearliest quotation 1744bribe
Earliest quotation: 1744, Mark Akenside: “Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to…”
Every English word from Old French briber
Today it means
noun Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French briber / bribe