big-budget

the compound adjective 'big-budget' is a modern formation, combining the native english adjective 'big' with the noun 'budget', which has a more complex history. 'big' is a common germanic word of uncertain origin, possibly imitative, that has consistently denoted large size or scale. 'budget' entered english from french, where it originally referred to a small pouch or wallet, a meaning derived from its latin root for a leather bag. the financial sense developed in the 18th century from the idea of the contents of the chancellor of the exchequer's bag containing the government's fiscal plans. when combined, the morphemes create a transparent, logical meaning: a financial plan or allocation that is large in scale, specifically used to describe expensive productions, typically in film, media, or business.

Structure: big (large) + budget (financial plan) big (origin: middle english, from an old english word of unknown origin; functional role: adjective meaning large in size or amount). budget (origin: middle english, from old french 'bougette', a diminutive of 'bouge' meaning leather bag, from latin 'bulga' meaning leather bag; functional role: noun meaning a financial plan or the amount of money available).