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Origin and history of commuter

commuter(n.)

"one who goes back and forth to work," by 1822, American English, originally "holder of a commutation ticket;" agent noun from commute (v.).

A commutation ticket (1822) was a ticket issued (by a ferry line, railroad, etc.) at a reduced rate entitling the holder to travel over a given route a limited number of times or an unlimited number of times over a certain period. This is from commute (v.) in a sense of "to change one kind of payment into another" (1795), here especially "combine a number of payments into a single one, pay a single sum instead of a number of successive payments."

A meeting of the inhabitants of the Village of Brooklyn, is requested at the DISTRICT SCHOOL-HOUSE, on Friday Evening next, the 3d May, at 7 o'clock, to hear the report of the Committees, relative to Public Ferries, and also the new law relating to the same. N.B. Commuters are requested not to take out their commutation tickets, until after said meeting. [paid notice in The Long-Island Star," May 2, 1822]

also from 1822

Entries linking to commuter

commute(v.)

mid-15c., "to change (something into something else), transform," from Latin commutare "to often change, to change altogether," from com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + mutare "to change" (reconstructed in Watkins to be from PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move").

The sense of "make less severe" is attested from 1630s; the sense of "exchange, put in place of another" is from 1630s. The meaning "substitute one sort of burden for another" is by 1640s.

The meaning "go back and forth to work" is attested by 1889, from commuter (1822 in the related sense, etc.), ultimately based on commutation ticket "ticket good for a number of rides, bought at a discount," on a railroad, steamboat line, streetcar line, etc. (by 1822), for which see commuter. Related: Commuted; commuting; commutable.

The noun meaning "a journey made in commuting" is attested by 1960.

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    jet
    Jet set first attested 1951, shortly before jet commuter plane flights began. Jet age is attested from 1952....
    club
    The club car is one of the most elaborate developments of the entire Commuter idea....
    passenger
    mid-14c., passager "a passer-by; a traveler," from Old French passagier, passageor "traveler, passer-by" (Modern French passager), noun use of passagier (adj.) "passing, fleeting, traveling," from passage "mountain pass, passage" (11c.), from passer "to go by," from Vulgar Latin
    rider
    late Old English ridere "one who rides, trooper, knight, mounted warrior," agent noun from ride (v.). Compare Middle Dutch rider, Dutch rijder, Old High German ritari, German Reiter, Old Norse riðeri; "It is uncertain how far the forms were independently developed in these langua
    commutation
    mid-15c., commutacioun, "act of giving one thing for another," from Old French commutacion "change, transformation, exchange, barter" (13c., Modern French commutation), from Latin commutationem (nominative commutatio) "a change, alteration," noun of action from past participle st
    ticket
    1520s, "short note or document," from a shortened form of French etiquet "label, note," from Old French estiquette "a little note" (late 14c.), especially one affixed to a gate or wall as a public notice, literally "something stuck (up or on)," from estiquer "to affix, stick on,
    train
    early 14c., "a drawing out, delay;" late 14c., "trailing part of a skirt, gown, or cloak;" also "retinue, procession," from Old French train "tracks, path, trail (of a robe or gown); act of dragging," from trainer "to pull, drag, draw," from Vulgar Latin *traginare, extended from
    tank
    1610s, "pool or lake for irrigation or drinking water," a word originally brought by the Portuguese from India, from a Hindi source, such as Gujarati tankh "cistern, underground reservoir for water," Marathi tanken, or tanka "reservoir of water, tank." Perhaps it is ultimately fr
    absorb
    "to drink in, suck up, take in by absorption," early 15c., from Old French absorbir, assorbir (13c., Modern French absorber), from Latin absorbere "to swallow up, devour," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + sorbere "suck in," from PIE root *srebh- "to suck, absorb" (source also

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