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earnings

Etymology and origin of the English word earnings

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1732

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɜːnɪŋz/ (UK); /ˈɝːnɪŋz/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is the plural of earning, the verbal noun of earn.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The money one makes by work or investment: 1732.[2]

Semantic evolution

Old English had earnung for deserving, merit or reward, but Etymonline judges the modern word a new formation.[2] In business, earnings are the profits of a company, as in earnings per share.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1732 – money earned.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Money earned by work; wages or salary.
  2. The profits of a business, or gains from investments.

Word family

  • retained earnings
  • price-earnings ratio

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Earnings.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/earnings. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·