Omnibus - Etymology, Origin & Meaning (original) (raw)
Origin and history of omnibus
1829, "long-bodied, four-wheeled public vehicle with seats for passengers," from French (voiture) omnibus "(carriage) for all, common (conveyance)," from Latin omnibus "for all," dative plural of omnis "all" (see omni-). Introduced by Jacques Lafitte in Paris in 1819 or '20, used in London from 1829.
As an adjective, in reference to legislation, "designed to cover many different cases, embracing numerous distinct objects," recorded from 1835; in U.S., used especially of the Compromise of 1850. Noun meaning "man or boy who assists a waiter at a restaurant" is attested from 1888 (compare busboy).
Entries linking to omnibus
also bus-boy, "employee at a restaurant who clears tables after meals," 1913, from bus (v.) in the restaurant sense + boy.
1832, "public street carriage," originally a colloquial abbreviation of omnibus (q.v.). The modern English noun is nothing but a Latin dative plural ending. To miss the bus, in the figurative sense of "lose an opportunity," is from 1901, Australian English (OED has a figurative miss the omnibus from 1886). Busman's holiday "leisure time spent participating in what one does for a living" (1893) probably is a reference to London omnibus drivers riding the buses on their days off.
Sometimes a new play opens, and we have a wild yearning to see it. So we ask for a holiday, and spend the holiday seeing the other show. You know the London omnibus driver, when he takes a holiday, enjoys it by riding around on another omnibus. So we call it a 'busman's holiday' when we recuperate at another theater! [English actress Lily Elise in "The Girl Who Made Good," Cosmopolitan, December 1911]
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[Old English fleot "a ship, a raft, a floating vessel," also, collectively, "means of sea travel; boats generally," from fleotan "to float, swim," from Proto-Germanic *fleutanan (source also of Old Saxon fliotan, Old Frisian fliata, Old Norse fljta, Old High German fliozzan, Middl](/word/fleet "Old English fleot "a ship, a raft, a floating vessel," also, collectively, "means of sea travel; boats generally," from fleotan "to float, swim," from Proto-Germanic *fleutanan (source also of Old Saxon fliotan, Old Frisian fliata, Old Norse fljta, Old High German fliozzan, Middl")
[mid-14c., passager "a passer-by; a traveler," from Old French passagier, passageor "traveler, passer-by" (Modern French passager), noun use of passagier (adj.) "passing, fleeting, traveling," from passage "mountain pass, passage" (11c.), from passer "to go by," from Vulgar Latin ](/word/passenger "mid-14c., passager "a passer-by; a traveler," from Old French passagier, passageor "traveler, passer-by" (Modern French passager), noun use of passagier (adj.) "passing, fleeting, traveling," from passage "mountain pass, passage" (11c.), from passer "to go by," from Vulgar Latin ")
[1610s, "a medium through which a drug or medicine is administered," also "any means of conveying or transmitting," from French véhicule (16c.), from Latin vehiculum "means of transport, vehicle, carriage, conveyance," from vehere "to bear, carry, convey" (from PIE root *wegh- "to](/word/vehicle "1610s, "a medium through which a drug or medicine is administered," also "any means of conveying or transmitting," from French véhicule (16c.), from Latin vehiculum "means of transport, vehicle, carriage, conveyance," from vehere "to bear, carry, convey" (from PIE root *wegh- "to")
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