A Firm Is Named After the Signature at the Bottom
A firm is a business. The word comes from the signature that made an agreement binding.
Firm means solid or resolute; a firm is a business partnership. The business sense came through Italian *firma*, a signature — the name a partnership traded under was the name it signed, and the signature named the company. Latin *firmare* meant to make firm, which is what signing a document does. A business *firm* and a *firm* handshake are therefore the same word, one through Italian commerce and one straight from Latin.
- Solid. *Firm ground.*
- Resolute. *A firm decision.*
- A business. *A law firm.*
- Confirm — to make firm. *Confirm.*
- Latin — *firmus*, steady. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | firm | Firm. |
| Noun | firm | A firm. |
| Verb | firm | Firming. |
| Adverb | firmly | Firmly. |
| Italian | firma | A signature. |
- The ground felt firm.Solid.
- She joined a law firm.Business.
- Firma means signature.Etymology.
The firmus family
- Firm — solid, and a signed partnership
- Confirm — to make firm
- Affirm — to state firmly
- Farm — land held for a fixed payment
- Infirm — not firm, hence weak
Latin *firmus*, steady or strong. The business sense is Italian *firma*, a signature.
Why is a business called a firm?
From Italian firma, a signature. A partnership traded under the name it signed, and the signature named the company.
Are firm and farm related?
Yes. Both descend from Latin firmus. A farm was land held for a fixed payment.