income
/ˈɪnkʌm/
noun
Origin
Old English
in + cuman — in + to come
Overview
Meaning Now
- Money received, especially on a regular basis, for work or through investments.
- The act or state of coming in; an arrival or entry.
Literal older meaning
that which comes in
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
in-come
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term evolved from a simple description of physical entry ('an incoming') into a specialized economic term during the expansion of mercantilism, where regular inflow of capital became a central concept.
Evolution
- Old English
in-cuman
“to arrive or enter”
Verb phrase indicating entry.
- Middle English
in-come
“entrance; arrival”
Formation of a compound noun from the verb phrase.
- 16th century
income
“periodic financial gain”
Extension of meaning to encompass financial inflow.
Connections
Word parts
in
prefix
inside or towards
come
root
movement toward
Related across languages
Dutch
inkomen
income
German
Einkommen
income
Explore next
Related to income
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.