English
cash
Cash comes from Middle French caisse ‘money-box’, from Latin capiō ‘take, seize’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘grasp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘grasp’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiō‘take’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapsa‘box’
- Occitanc. 1500–presentcaissa
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600caisse‘money-box’
- Englishearliest quotation 1787cash
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘grasp’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiō‘take’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapsa‘box’
- Occitanc. 1500–presentcaissa
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600caisse‘money-box’
- Englishearliest quotation 1787cash
Earliest quotation: 1787, 1764, Adam Anderson: “This bank[…] is properly a general cash, where every…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘grasp’
had, head, except, heavy, capital, behavior, chapter, captain, achieve, heavily, catch, capacity, escape, acceptable, chef, occupation, acceptance, haven, chapel, behave, cape, cattle, hawk, cabin, capitol, precipitation, capita, captive, chaplain, conceive, mischief, captivity, conceivable, mischievous, haves, cad, heave, chieftain, heaving, precipitate, 144 more
through Latin capiō ‘take, seize’
accept, receive, cop, capable, recipe, reception, cable, perception, capture, recipient, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, caption, deceive, deceptive, deceit, cater, preoccupation, receivable, perceptible, captivate, preceptor, captor, sashay, 25 more
through Latin capsa ‘box’
case, chase, capsule, chassis, cassette, casket, cajon, kas, chasse, 5 more
Today it means
noun Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / cash