Omnibus
/ˈɒm.nɪ.bəs/noun
A vehicle or book that serves many purposes or contains many things.
Did you know?Omnibus is the dative plural of Latin omnis, so its original sense was literally “for all,” and that same form later got repurposed into the name of a vehicle meant to carry everyone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ep- / *h₂ep-
“A debated ancient root associated with completeness or allness in the ancestry of Latin omnis.”
Latin
Latin
omnis
“All, every, whole.”
Latin
Latin
omnibus
“To/for all; the dative plural form of omnis.”
19th Century
French
omnibus
“A public horse-drawn carriage for everyone.”
19th Century
English
omnibus
“A vehicle, publication, or collection containing many items for broad use.”
Explore more surprising origins