English
currency
Currency is borrowed from Medieval Latin currentia, from Latin currēns ‘running’; it is also analysable as current + -cy.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrēns‘running’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500currentia
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1627currency
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrēns‘running’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500currentia
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1627currency
Earliest quotation: a. 1627, Francis Bacon, Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]: “He […] takes greatness of kingdoms according to their…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’
charge, career, carry, rush, cargo, carrier, hurry, carriage, intercourse, chariot, carousel, recourse, caricature, occurrence, corral, cursory, hurrah, recursive, carrack, 35 more
through Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’
corridor, discourse, courier, concourse, incursion, 20 more
through Latin currō ‘to run’
course, occur, curriculum, precursor, corsair, cursor, incur, concurrent, concur, recurrent, recursion, hussar, succour, recur, 23 more
through Latin currēns ‘running’
Today it means
noun Money or other items used to facilitate transactions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin currēns / currency