Exorbitant
/ɪɡˈzɔːr.bɪ.tənt/noun
Excessive, unreasonable, or far beyond what is normal.
Did you know?Exorbitant comes from Latin *exorbitantem*, from *ex-* “out of” + *orbita* “track, wheel-rut, orbit,” so the original image was something straying off its proper path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*orbh-
“to turn, to move around, to revolve”
Latin
Latin
orbita
“a wheel track, rut, or course”
Late Latin
Latin
exorbitare
“to go out of the track; to stray”
Old French
Old French
exorbitant
“exceeding proper bounds; irregular”
14th Century
English
exorbitant
“deviating from the usual course; excessive”
Modern English
English
exorbitant
“excessive or unreasonably high”