economic

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *wóyḱos

Proto-Hellenic *wóikos

Ancient Greek ϝοῖκος (woîkos)

Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos)

Proto-Indo-European *nem-der.

Proto-Indo-European *németi

Proto-Hellenic *némō

Ancient Greek νέμω (némō)

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Hellenic *-os

Ancient Greek -ος (-os)

Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos)

Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos)

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂

Proto-Hellenic *-íā

Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā)

Ancient Greek οἰκονομία (oikonomía)bor.

Latin oeconomia

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -icus

Latin oeconomicusder.

Old French iconomikeder.

Middle English iconomiquebor.

Middle English economike, iconomique

English economic

The noun is derived from Middle English economike, iconomique (“household management”), and then:

* from Middle French iconomique, oeconomique, and Old French iconomike (“(noun) household management; person in charge of household management; (adjective) relating to household management; relating to domestic or family matters; relating to management of a state; reducing costs or expenses, economical”) (modern French économique); and

* from their etymon Latin oeconomicus (“(noun) household manager, housekeeper, steward; (adjective) relating to orderly arrangement of written material”) (whence Late Latin economicus (“relating to (management of) a household”)), and economica (“household management”), both from Ancient Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “skilled in household management; frugal, thrifty, economical”) (whence Koine Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “relating to orderly arrangement of written material”));

from οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Οἰκονόμος (Oikonómos) is derived from οἶκος (oîkos, “dwelling place, house; estate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“(verb) to enter in; to settle; (noun) settlement”)) + νόμος (nómos, “law, ordinance”) (from νέμω (némō, “to distribute; to possess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to distribute; to give; to take”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns from verbs)).

Noun sense 2.2 (“one who manages the income of a vacant benefice”) is from Italian economo, from Late Latin oeconomus (“housekeeper, steward; administrator, especially of a religious foundation”), from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”): see above.

The adjective is derived from the noun; compare the adjective senses in Middle and Old French, Latin, and Ancient Greek.

By surface analysis, economy + -ic.