English
imburse
Imburse comes from Medieval Latin imbursāre, from Latin bursa ‘animal skin, oxhide’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek βῠ́ρσᾰ.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβῠ́ρσᾰbŭ́rsă‘animal skin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbursa‘animal skin, oxhide’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500imbursāre
- Englishearliest quotation 1630imburse
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβῠ́ρσᾰbŭ́rsă‘animal skin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbursa‘animal skin, oxhide’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500imbursāre
- Englishearliest quotation 1630imburse
Earliest quotation: 1630, William Burt, (Agent William Burt) to (the East India Company): “If the Company would enlarge this commerce, it must…”
Ancient Greek βύρσα ‘leather’
Latin bursa ‘purse, especially one made of skin or leather’
Old French borse ‘small bag used to carry money’
Middle French bourse ‘bag or purse’
English burse
The story
From Medieval Latin imbursāre, Late Latin imbursāre, from Latin im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’ usually affixed to verbs)) + bursa (‘animal skin, oxhide; purse (usually made of leather or skin); supply of money, funds’) (from Ancient Greek βῠ́ρσᾰ (bŭ́rsă, “animal skin; skin stripped off a hide”)); analysable as im- + burse. The word is cognate with Old French enborser (modern French embourser), Italian imborsare, Spanish embolsar (‘to bag’).
Linked words
through Latin bursa ‘animal skin, oxhide’
Today it means
verb To put into a purse; to save, to store up.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek βῠ́ρσᾰ / imburse