enterprise | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

29 entries found.

early 15c., "an undertaking," formerly also enterprize, from Old French enterprise "an undertaking," noun use of fem. past participle of entreprendre "undertake, take in hand" (12c.), from entre- "between" (see entre-) + prendre "to take," contraction of prehendere "to catch hold of, seize" (from prae- "before," see pre-, + -hendere, from PIE root *ghend- "to seize, take"). Abstract sense of "adventurous disposition, readiness to undertake challenges, spirit of daring" is from late 15c.

enterprising (adj.)

"eager to undertake, prompt to attempt," 1610s, present-participle adjective from the verb enterprise (late 15c.), from the noun enterprise. Until mid-19c. (at least in Britain) mostly in a bad sense: "scheming, ambitious, foolhardy." Earlier (1560s) as a verbal noun meaning "action of undertaking."

entrepreneur (n.)

1828, "manager or promoter of a theatrical production," reborrowing of French entrepreneur "one who undertakes or manages," agent noun from Old French entreprendre "undertake" (see enterprise). The word first crossed the Channel late 15c. (Middle English entreprenour) but did not stay. Meaning "business manager" is from 1852. Related: Entrepreneurship.

inter-

word-forming element used freely in English, "between, among, during," from Latin inter (prep., adv.) "among, between, betwixt, in the midst of" (also used extensively as a prefix), from PIE *enter "between, among" (source also of Sanskrit antar, Old Persian antar "among, between," Greek entera (plural) "intestines," Old Irish eter, Old Welsh ithr "among, between," Gothic undar, Old English under "under"), a comparative of root *en "in."

A living prefix in English from 15c. and used with Germanic as well as Latinate words. Spelled entre- in French; most words borrowed into English in that form were re-spelled 16c. to conform with Latin except entertain, enterprise. In Latin, spelling shifted to intel- before -l-, hence intelligence, etc.

*ghend-

also *ghed-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to seize, to take."

It forms all or part of: apprehend; apprentice; apprise; beget; comprehend; comprehension; comprehensive; comprise; depredate; depredation; emprise; enterprise; entrepreneur; forget; get; guess; impresario; misprision; osprey; predatory; pregnable; prehensile; prehension; prey; prison; prize (n.2) "something taken by force;" pry (v.2) "raise by force;" reprehend; reprieve; reprisal; reprise; spree; surprise.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek khandanein "to hold, contain;" Lithuanian godėtis "be eager;" second element in Latin prehendere "to grasp, seize;" Welsh gannu "to hold, contain;" Russian za-gadka "riddle;" Old Norse geta "to obtain, reach; to be able to; to beget; to learn; to be pleased with;" Albanian gjen "to find."

undertaking (n.)

"enterprise," early 15c., verbal noun from undertake (v.). An Old English word for this was underfangenes.

partisan (adj.)

1708 in a military sense, "engaged on a special enterprise;" 1842 in politics, "of or pertaining to a party or faction;" from partisan (n.).

prospectus (n.)

"printed plan or sketch meant to make known the chief features of some proposed enterprise," 1765, from French prospectus (1723) and directly from Latin prospectus "a lookout, a view" (see prospect (n.)).

privatize (v.)

"make private as opposed to public," especially of a state transferring services or industries to private enterprise, 1966, a back-formation from privatization (q.v.). Re-privatise is attested from 1942. Related: Privatized; privatizing.

master-mind (n.)

1720, "an outstanding intellect," from master (n.) + mind (n.). Meaning "head of a criminal enterprise" is attested by 1872. As a verb (also mastermind), "to engage in the highest level of planning and execution of a major operation," from 1940. Related: Masterminded; masterminding.

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