money-making
UK[ˈmʌniˌmeɪkɪŋ]US[ˈmʌniˌmeɪkɪŋ]
adj
Designed or intended to earn a lot of money; profitable.
n
The activity of making money, especially a lot of money.
Morpheme Breakdown
money
making
money
currency
making
the act of producing
Etymology
The compound 'money-making' is a transparent combination of two native English elements. 'Money' entered English via the Norman French 'monoie', tracing back to the Latin 'Moneta', an epithet for the goddess Juno in whose temple coins were minted in Rome. 'Making' derives from the Old English verb 'macian', a common Germanic word meaning to construct or produce. When combined, the literal sense of "the producing of currency" logically evolved to describe any activity or enterprise focused on generating profit, reflecting a direct and pragmatic approach to naming economic concepts.
Analysis
Structure: money (currency) + making (the act of producing)
- money: From Middle English 'moneie', from Old French 'monoie', from Latin 'moneta' (mint, money). Functions as the object or subject of the action in the compound.
- making: From Middle English 'making', from Old English 'macian' (to make). The present participle/gerund form functions as the action or process in the compound.
Examples
He left his secure job to pursue a more money-making venture.
For some, online trading has become a primary source of money-making.
The film was a critical failure but a huge money-making success.