Expense
/ɪkˈspɛns/noun
Money spent or the cost required for something.
Did you know?Expense comes from Latin expendere, meaning “to weigh out” or “pay out,” from ex- (“out”) + pendere (“to weigh, hang”), the same ancient root behind words tied to balancing and hanging.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spend-
“to stretch, weigh, or make ready”
Latin
Latin
expendere
“to weigh out, pay out, or spend”
Late Latin
Latin
expensa
“money paid out; expenditure”
Old French
Old French
expense
“cost, charge, expenditure”
Middle English
English
expense
“cost or outlay of money”
Modern English
English
expense
“money spent or the cost of something”