Bourse
/bʊərs/noun
A stock exchange or securities market, especially in France or other European contexts.
Did you know?The modern financial sense comes from the name of a 16th-century Bruges trading house, the Van der Bourse family, whose house became a meeting place for merchants and helped give Europe one of its key market words.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Dutch
Dut
beurse
“A pouch, purse, or bag for carrying money.”
13th–16th Century
French
bourse
“A purse or money bag; later, a place where merchants met to trade.”
16th Century
Dutch/French
la Bourse
“The trading house or exchange associated with the Van der Bourse family in Bruges.”
17th Century
French
bourse
“A stock exchange or financial market.”
Modern English
English
bourse
“A stock exchange, especially in continental Europe.”