Etymology

bus

B3U1S1

Today it means: A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads. Full definition →

English omnibusclip. ← French omnibus ← Latin omnibu
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bus · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ep-
  2. Proto-Italic*opnis
  3. Latinomnis
  4. Latinomnibu
  5. Frenchomnibus
  6. Englishomnibusclip.
  7. English todaybus

Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift in spelling likely reflects the fact that modern speakers no longer perceive this term as a clipping. The electrical sense is derived from figurative application of the automotive sense.

bus · verb2

Back-formation from busboy.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.