bus and omnibus

[elduce]

Salve,

Is the word "bus" a shortened version of "omnibus"?

Gratias ago,
El

[Chris Weimer]

Yes.

[adrianus]

voiture omnibus (French, 1828, using Latin dative plural) = voiture pour tous = omnibus (English, 1829) = buss (Eng. abbreviation, 1832) = 'bus (Eng., 1845) = bus (Eng., 1887) apud Oxford English Dictionary. ("A large public vehicle carrying passengers by road, running on a fixed route and typically requiring the payment of a fare; a bus (BUS n.2 1a). Now chiefly hist. (esp. with reference to a horse-drawn vehicle of this kind) or formal.")