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Origin and history of advantage

advantage(n.)

early 14c., avantage, "position of being in advance of another," from Old French avantage "advantage, profit; superiority" (12c.), from avant "before," probably via an unrecorded Late or Medieval Latin *abantaticum, from Latin abante "from before," composed of ab "from" (see ab-) + ante "before, in front of, against" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead"). Compare advance (v.).

Advantage is the possession of a good vantage-ground for the attainment of ulterior objects of desire .... [Century Dictionary]

The unetymological -d- is a 16c. intrusion on the analogy of the many Latin ad- words in English. The meaning "any condition favorable to success, a favoring circumstance" (the opposite of a disadvantage) is from late 15c. The tennis score sense is from 1640s (in the writings of John Milton). Phrase take advantage of is from late 14c. as "avail oneself of," also "impose upon." To have the advantage of (someone) "have superiority over" is from 1560s.

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to advantage

advance(v.)

mid-13c., avauncen (transitive), "improve (something), further the development of," from Old French avancir, avancier "move forward, go forward, set forward" (12c., Modern French avancer), from Vulgar Latin *abanteare (source of Italian avanzare, Spanish avanzar). This is from Late Latin abante "from before," composed of ab "from" (see ab-) + ante "before, in front of, against" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead").

Compare French avant "before" (as in avant-garde), which is from the same Late Latin word. The unetymological -d- in English was inserted 16c. on the mistaken notion that initial syllable was from Latin ad-.

It is attested from c. 1300 as "to promote, raise to a higher rank." The intransitive sense of "move forward, move further in front" is by mid-14c.; the transitive meaning "bring forward in place, move (something) forward" is from c. 1500. The meaning "give (money, etc.) before it is legally due" is attested by 1670s. Related: Advanced; advancing. The adjective (in advance warning, etc.) is recorded from 1843.

advantageous(adj.)

1590s, "furnishing advantages," formed in English from advantage + -ous on the model of French avantageux (15c.). Related: Advantageously; advantageousness.

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penalty
c. 1500, "punishment," from Old French penalite and directly from Medieval Latin penalitatem (nominative penalitas), from Latin poenalis "pertaining to punishment" (see penal). Specifically as "the punishment laid out by law or judicial decision for a violation of the law" is by
reward
mid-14c., "what one deserves, just desserts," from Anglo-French and Old North French reward, rouwart, back-formation from rewarder (see reward (v.)). The meaning "return or payment for service, hardship, etc.," also "something given in recognition of merit, virtue, etc., a prize"
behoof
c. 1200, "use, benefit, advantage," from Old English *bihof "advantage, utility" (implied by bihoflic "useful," and compare...behoove), from Proto-Germanic *bi-hof "that which binds, requirement, obligation" (source also of Old Frisian bihof "advantage...," Dutch behoef, Middle High German bihuof "useful thing," German Behuf "benefit, use, advantage," Danish behov "need, necessity...
emolument
profit arising from office or employment, that which is given as compensation for services," from Old French émolument "advantage..., gain, benefit; income, revenue" (13c.) and directly from Latin emolumentum "profit, gain, advantage, benefit," perhaps...Formerly also "profit, advantage, gain in general, that which promotes the good of any person or thing" (1630s)....
boot
"profit, use," Old English bot "help, relief, advantage; atonement," literally "a making better," from Proto-Germanic *boto...Compare Old Frisian bote "fine, penalty, penance, compensation," German Buße "penance, atonement," Gothic botha "advantage...
gain
c. 1200, gein, "advantage, benefit; help," c. 1300, "reward, profit, that which has been acquired" (possessions, resources..., wealth), from Old French gain, gaaigne "gain, profit, advantage; work, business; booty; arable land" (12c.), from Germanic...
use
" from Vulgar Latin *usare "use," frequentative form of past participle stem of Latin uti "make use of, profit by, take advantage...From late 14c. as "take advantage of."...
warder
c. 1400, "guardian of an entrance," from Anglo-French wardere, wardour "guardian, keeper, custodian" (Old French gardeor), agent noun from Old North French warder "to guard, keep, maintain, uphold" (Old French garder), from Frankish *wardon, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard,
dale
level or gently sloping ground between low hills with a stream flowing through it, Old English dæl "vale, valley, gorge," from Proto-Germanic *dalaz "valley" (source also of Old Saxon, Dutch, Gothic dal, Old Norse dalr, Old High German tal, German Tal "valley"), perhaps from PIE
deal
"a part or portion," Middle English del, from from Old English dæl "a part of a whole, a share;" with qualification (great, etc.), "an extent, degree, quantity, amount," from Proto-Germanic *dailaz (source also of Old Norse deild, Old Frisian del "part; juridical district," Dutch

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