Buy
/baɪ/noun
To acquire something in exchange for money or other payment.
Did you know?In Old English, related forms like *bycgan* were used for buying, showing that commerce was already baked into everyday speech long before modern markets.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bugjaną
“to buy, acquire”
Old English
OE
bycgan
“to buy, purchase”
Middle English
ME
bigen / buggen
“to buy”
Early Modern English
English
buy
“to purchase”
Modern English
English
buy
“to acquire something in exchange for money”