Etymograph

English

biz

Biz comes from Middle English bisynes ‘business’, from Old English bisiġnes ‘solicitude’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- ‘to fear, be afraid’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyh₂-1‘to fear, be afraid’uncertain
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisōn2‘to rush around, whirr’uncertain
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisīg3‘zealous, diligent, busy, eident’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġ3‘busy’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġnes3‘solicitude’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bisynes3‘business’
  7. English1500–presentbusiness3
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1922biz3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *bisōn
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *bisīg
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English biz
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses: “Relieving office here. Good biz for cheapjacks, organs. What…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyh₂-Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *bisōn‘to fear, be afraid’uncertain
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisōnWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *bisīg‘to rush around, whirr’uncertain
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bisīgWiktionary, English biz‘zealous, diligent, busy, eident’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġWiktionary, English biz‘busy’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150bisiġnesWiktionary, English biz‘solicitude’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bisynesWiktionary, English biz‘business’
  7. English1500–presentbusinessWiktionary, English biz
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1922bizWiktionary, English biz. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses: “Relieving office here. Good biz for cheapjacks, organs. What…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- ‘to fear, be afraid’

bone, bain, 7 more

through Old English bisiġ ‘busy’

busy

through Old English bisiġnes ‘solicitude’

business

through English business

pigeon, pidgin

Today it means

noun Business, especially showbusiness.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “biz”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-West Germanic *bisōn, Proto-West Germanic *bisīg. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- / biz

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