автобус

Etymology

Borrowed from German Autobus, from French autobus. The term is a clipping of Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + Latin omnibus (“for everyone”, pl. dat. of omnis). Originally, it referred to automobiles that were capable of transporting multiple passengers, whence the element авто- (avto-). Previously, this service was performed by horse-chariots called in French omnibus, whence the element -бус (-bus), which also appears in e.g. тролейбу́с (trolejbús).