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Where does the word "millionaire" come from? It comes from Italian million, passing through French before entering English (1800s).
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Where does the word "millionaire" come from? It comes from Italian million, passing through French before entering English (1800s).
Millionaire’s story begins in Italian: million meant “a great thousand.” An augmentative of "mille" (thousand), meaning a great thousand. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as millionnaire. Coined for a person possessing a million units of currency. It reached English by 1800s as millionaire. Benjamin Disraeli used it in his 1826 novel 'Vivian Grey'. Today, millionaire means a person whose assets are worth at least one million units of currency.
- Stage 1 · Italian · medieval million "a great thousand", an augmentative of "mille" (thousand), meaning a great thousand.
- Stage 2 · French · 1700s millionnaire "a person possessing a million", coined for a person possessing a million units of currency.
- Stage 3 · English · 1800s millionaire "a person whose wealth exceeds a million currency units", Benjamin Disraeli used it in his 1826 novel 'Vivian Grey'.