Etymograph

English

millionaire

Millionaire comes from French million ‘million (10⁶)’, from Italian mille ‘thousand, one thousand’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-1‘hand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*smih₂ǵʰéslih₂2‘one thousand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smīɣeslī2‘thousand’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīlle2‘thousand’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentmille3‘thousand, one thousand’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentmilione4‘million’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400million5
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600million4‘million, 10⁶’
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentmillion6‘million (10⁶)’
  10. Frenchc. 1600–presentmillionnaire7
  11. Englishearliest quotation 2017millionaire7

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéslom
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Italian mille
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Italian milione
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French million
  5. 5 Wiktionary, Middle French million
  6. 6 Wiktionary, French millionnaire
  7. 7 Wiktionary, English millionaire
  8. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2017, Maurie Backman, Here's how to become a millionaire on $56,000 a year: “Those people who eventually become millionaires typically don't get…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéslom‘hand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*smih₂ǵʰéslih₂Wiktionary, Italian mille‘one thousand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smīɣeslīWiktionary, Italian mille‘thousand’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīlleWiktionary, Italian mille‘thousand’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentmilleWiktionary, Italian milione‘thousand, one thousand’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentmilioneWiktionary, French million‘million’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400millionWiktionary, Middle French million
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600millionWiktionary, French million‘million, 10⁶’
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentmillionWiktionary, French millionnaire‘million (10⁶)’
  10. Frenchc. 1600–presentmillionnaireWiktionary, English millionaire
  11. Englishearliest quotation 2017millionaireWiktionary, English millionaire. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2017, Maurie Backman, Here's how to become a millionaire on $56,000 a year: “Those people who eventually become millionaires typically don't get…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’

host, surgery, surgical, garter, kilometre, hasta, chiral, 40 more

through Latin mīlle ‘thousand’

mile, milla, 11 more

through French million ‘million (10⁶)’

yard, billion, billiard, 2 more

Today it means

noun Somebody whose wealth is at least one million (10⁶) currency units (usually understood to exclude holders of hyperinflated currencies).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “millionaire”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéslom, Italian mille, Italian milione, French million, Middle French million, French millionnaire. 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 *ǵʰes- / millionaire

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