Breadwinning

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to the act of earning an income to support a family or household
2. Involving the primary financial provider within a family unit
3. Describing the role or responsibility of generating economic resources for others' welfare

Etymology: "Breadwinning" is a plain compound of "bread" and "winning," with no hidden twists in its making. "Bread" is the familiar Old English word for the staple food, and "winning" is the gerund of "win" in its older sense of getting or gaining something through effort, as in winning a living. Put together, the word means the earning of the money that keeps a household fed. The same pattern appears in neighbouring languages. West Frisian has "breawinning," meaning livelihood, and Dutch has "broodwinning," used for a profession or means of earning. These parallel formations suggest the idea of earning one's bread was shared across the Low Countries and the English-speaking world, with each language building the compound from its own native materials.

Synonyms: earning, providing