entry
subsidy
/ˈsʌbsɪdi/Financial assistance, especially from a government
From Latin sub (under) + Latin sido (sit).
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin subsidium "a help, aid, assistance, (military) reinforcements, troops in reserve,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French subside
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English subsidy, subsidie
Word Ancestry
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin subsidium "a help, aid, assistance, (military) reinforcements, troops in reserve,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French subside
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
from Anglo-French subsidie , Old French subside "help, aid, assistance, contribution,"
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English subsidy, subsidie
Picture a Roman army waiting just behind the battle line: not charging, not fleeing, but sitting in reserve until the front needs help. Latin called those backup troops subsidium, built from sub, “below,” and sīdō, “I sit.” The same image traveled into medieval French and then Middle English, where a subsidy became a contribution—often money requested by the Crown. By 1867, English had narrowed the term toward direct financial aid for private industry, while modern governments expanded it into tax breaks, grants, soft loans, and price support. A subsidy is therefore a Roman reserve force in financial clothing: money sitting quietly behind the economy, waiting to be sent forward.
The Story
Picture a Roman army waiting just behind the battle line: not charging, not fleeing, but sitting in reserve until the front needs help. Latin called those backup troops subsidium, built from sub, “below,” and sīdō, “I sit.” The same image traveled into medieval French and then Middle English, where a subsidy became a contribution—often money requested by the Crown. By 1867, English had narrowed the term toward direct financial aid for private industry, while modern governments expanded it into tax breaks, grants, soft loans, and price support. A subsidy is therefore a Roman reserve force in financial clothing: money sitting quietly behind the economy, waiting to be sent forward.
Kin & Kindred
From 'sub'·under, below; in a supporting or subordinate position
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'sido'·sit, settle down, remain
Derived Terms
English words from this root