Origin and history of *sa-

1530s, "sufficient estate," from Anglo-French assetz, asetz (singular), from Old French assez "sufficiency, satisfaction; compensation" (11c.), noun use of adverb meaning "enough, sufficiently; very much, a great deal," from Vulgar Latin *ad satis "to sufficiency," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + satis "enough" (from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy").

At first a legal word meaning "sufficient estate" (to satisfy debts and legacies), it passed into a general sense of "property," especially "any property that theoretically can be converted to ready money" by 1580s. The figurative use from 1670s. Asset is a 19c. artificial singular. Corporate asset stripping is attested from 1972.

1962, from Greek hadros "thick, bulky" (the primary sense), also "strong, great; large, well-grown, ripe," from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy." With elementary particle suffix -on. Coined in Russian as adron.