Etymology

commuter

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Today it means: One who commutes (etymology 1). Full definition →

English commute ← Latin commūtō ← Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincon-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  7. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  8. Latinmūtō
  9. Latincommūtō
  10. Englishcommute
  11. English todaycommuter

From commute + -er. The sense of "one who travels to work" derives via commutation ticket, an early form of season ticket.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.