bank
Old Norseridge/slope beside water; bench (money-changer's table)
About This Root
Two strands that converged in one spelling. (1) From Old Norse bakki 'ridge, slope, riverbank' — a raised edge of land, preserved in riverbank and embankment. (2) From Italian banca 'bench,' the table where medieval money-changers sat — the source of the financial bank (banker, banking, banknote). The two ultimately go back to the same Germanic word for a raised flat surface, which is why one spelling carries both 'slope of earth' and 'money table.' Bankrupt = banca rotta, 'broken bench'; mountebank = 'one who mounts the bench.'
Associated Words · 11
bank
To deal with a bank or financial institution, or for an institution to provide financial services to a client; An institution where one can place and borrow money and take care of financial affairs
bankruptcy
The legal state of being unable to pay one's debts
banker
A person who owns or manages a bank
bankrupt
Unable to pay one's debts; to make someone insolvent; an insolvent person
embankment
A raised mound of earth or stone built to hold back water or support a road
riverbank
The ground along the side of a river
banknote
A piece of paper currency issued by a bank
mountebank
A swindler or con artist; to deceive with false claims
bankbook
A book recording a customer's bank transactions and balance
banking
The business of managing a bank or financial services
non-bank
Not belonging to or operated by a bank