English
expensive
Expensive comes from Latin *expēnsīvus, from expendō ‘to weigh out, pay out’, from ex- + pendō ‘to weigh’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)péndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pendō‘to hang’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendō‘weigh’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpendō‘to weigh out’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CE*expēnsīvusreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1748expensive
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)péndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pendō‘to hang’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendō‘weigh’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpendō‘to weigh out’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CE*expēnsīvusreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1748expensive
Earliest quotation: 1748, Samuel Richardson, Letter IV. Miſs Clarissa Harlowe, To Miſs Howe.: “[…] And that he looked into his own affairs,…”
Equivalent to expense + -ive
Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’
…
Latin expendō ‘to weigh’
Late Latin expēnsa
Anglo-Norman expense
Middle English expense
English expense
The story
In the sense of "high-priced" has largely displaced dear.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’
pound, span, depend, pendant, poise, pansy, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *pendō ‘to hang, put in a hanging position’
through Latin pendō ‘weigh, weigh out’
spending, compensation, pension, compensate, suspend, appendix, perpendicular, penthouse, peso, compendium, dispensation, spender, piso, append, recompense, 14 more
through Latin expendō ‘to weigh out (money), to pay out’
Today it means
adj Having a high price or cost.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- / expensive