Etymograph

English

cost

Cost comes from Old French coster ‘to cost’, from Latin cōnstō ‘stand together’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *komstaēō.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*komstaēō‘to stand together’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstō‘stand together’
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cōstō
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400coster‘to cost’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500costen
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599cost

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*komstaēō‘to stand together’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstō‘stand together’
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cōstō
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400coster‘to cost’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500costen
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599cost

Earliest quotation: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “though it cost me ten nights' watchings”.

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *komstaēō ‘to stand together’

inconstant, 3 more

through Latin cōnstō ‘stand together’

constant, constancy, 4 more

Another origin of cost

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*komstaēō‘to stand together’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstōas cōnstāre‘to stand together’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400coster‘to cost’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500costendeverb.
  5. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500cost
  6. Englishtodaysame form

Another origin of cost

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵews-‘to try, to taste’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵéwstus‘to enjoy, taste’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kustuz‘choice, trial’reconstructed
  4. Old Norsec. 800–1350kostr‘choice, opportunity, chance, condition, state, quality’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150cost‘option, choice, possibility, manner, way, condition’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishtodaysame form

Another origin of cost

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcosta‘a side, a wall’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400coste‘side’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  4. Englishtodaycost

Today it means

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

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

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *komstaēō / cost

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