English
luftgeschaeft
Luftgeschaeft comes from German Luftgeschäft.
- Germanc. 1650–presentLuftgeschäft
- Yiddishmodernלופֿט געשעפֿטluft gesheft
- Englishearliest quotation 1955luftgeschaeft
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentLuftgeschäft
- Yiddishmodernלופֿט געשעפֿטluft gesheft
- Englishearliest quotation 1955luftgeschaeft
Earliest quotation: 1955, Dov Ber Borochov, To the Question of Zion and Territory: “The economic situation of the Jewish people in the…”
A compound of Luft ‘air’ + Geschäft ‘business’
Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to peel, break off, damage’
Proto-Indo-European *lubʰ-tu-s
Proto-Germanic *luftuz ‘roof’
Proto-West Germanic *luftu ‘roof’
Old High German luft
Middle High German luft
German Luft ‘air’
Proto-Germanic *gaskapjaną ‘to create’
Proto-Germanic *gaskaftiz ‘creation’
Proto-West Germanic *gaskafti ‘creation’
Old High German giscaft
Middle High German gescheft
German Geschäft ‘business’
The story
From Yiddish לופֿט געשעפֿט (luft gesheft), from German Luftgeschäft, from Luft (‘air’) + Geschäft (‘business’); with spelling influenced by the orthography of the German term.
Every English word from German Luftgeschäft
Today it means
noun A meaningless or unproductive job, which contributes little or no value to society.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Luftgeschäft / luftgeschaeft