big-business
UK[ˈbɪɡ ˌbɪznɪs]US[ˈbɪɡ ˌbɪznɪs]
n
Large-scale commercial or industrial activity, especially when seen as having significant economic and political influence.
n
The large corporations and financial institutions considered collectively as a powerful group.
Morpheme Breakdown
big
business
big
large
business
commercial activity
Etymology
The compound "big-business" is a modern formation, emerging in the late 19th to early 20th century during the rise of industrial capitalism and corporate consolidation. It directly combines the common adjective "big," implying scale and significance, with the noun "business," denoting commercial enterprise. The term's logic is transparently descriptive, yet it has evolved to carry a connotation of concentrated economic power and political influence, often used critically to refer to the perceived dominance of large corporations in society and government. Its formation follows a typical English pattern of creating compound nouns to describe new socio-economic phenomena.
Analysis
Structure: big (large) + business (commercial activity)
big: From Middle English bigge, of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scandinavian source. In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning "large in size, extent, or importance."
business: From Middle English bisinesse, from Old English bisignes ("anxiety, care, occupation"), from bisig ("busy") + -nes (noun-forming suffix). In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning "commercial activity or enterprise."
Examples
The senator was accused of being overly influenced by big-business.
Policies that favor big-business are often criticized for harming small entrepreneurs.
The report analyzed the role of big-business in global environmental issues.