bank

Where does the word "bank" come from? It comes from Italian banca, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Bank’s story begins in Italian: banca meant “a bench, a table.” Literally a bench, the table where medieval moneylenders conducted business. It reached English by 1400s as bank. Settled as the English word for a financial institution. Today, bank means an institution for the safekeeping and lending of money.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval banca "a bench, a table", literally a bench, the table where medieval moneylenders conducted business.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s bank "a financial institution", settled as the English word for a financial institution.