average

Where does the word "average" come from? It comes from Arabic 'awariyah, passing through Italian and French before entering English (1500s-1600s).

Average’s story begins in Arabic: 'awariyah meant “damaged merchandise.” Referring to damaged goods in maritime trade. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as avaria. Adopted for the cost of damage shared among merchants. From there it passed into French as avarie by medieval. Kept the maritime insurance meaning. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as average. Generalized from shared loss to a mathematical mean. Today, average means a typical or middle value calculated from a set of numbers.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval 'awariyah "damaged merchandise", referring to damaged goods in maritime trade.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval avaria "damage, and the shared cost of it", adopted for the cost of damage shared among merchants.
3. Stage 3 · French · medieval avarie "damage to cargo, shared loss", kept the maritime insurance meaning.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1500s-1600s average "a typical or mean value", generalized from shared loss to a mathematical mean.