Etymology

billionaire

B3I1L1L1I1O1N1A1I1R1E1

Today it means: Somebody whose wealth is at least one billion (10⁹) currency units (usually understood to exclude holders of hyperinflated currencies). Full definition →

English millionaire ← French millionnaire ← Middle French million
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dwís
  4. Proto-Italic*dwis
  5. Old Latinduis
  6. Latinbis
  7. Frenchbi-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*sm̥-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*smih₂
  11. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰes-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰéslom
  13. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰéslih₂
  14. Proto-Indo-European*smih₂ǵʰéslih₂
  15. Proto-Italic*smīɣeslī
  16. Latinmīlle
  17. Italianmille
  18. Italianmilione
  19. Old Frenchmillion
  20. Middle Frenchmillion
  21. Frenchmillionbf.
  22. Frenchbillion
  23. Englishbillion
  24. Frenchmillion
  25. Frenchmillionnaire
  26. Englishmillionaire
  27. English todaybillionaire

From billion + -aire.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.