The story behind “undertake”, from its beginnings to its meaning today. #words #vocabulary
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A WORD’S STORY: Where did “undertake” come from?. “undertake” means: Meaning: Begin an activity or enterprise. Swipe to see how it got that meaning.
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WHERE IT BEGAN: First, the origin of “undertake”. Undertake is the English compound of under and take, modeled in part on a similar use of French entreprendre. It meant taking something upon oneself, accepting responsibility for it, or committing oneself to perform it. An undertaker was simply a person who undertook such work.
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THE CONNECTION: Here’s the connection. Early undertakers managed many kinds of projects and businesses. Funeral-undertaker specified the person who took responsibility for funeral arrangements. As other occupational uses faded, the shortened undertaker became strongly associated with funerals.
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NOW YOU KNOW: “undertake”. Say it: /ʌndəˈteɪk/ Meaning: Begin an activity or enterprise. Try five words in the free daily game: lexifour.com. Follow for another word story.