Other forms: businessmen
A businessman is a man who works in trade or runs a company. A successful businessman, a local businessman, the businessman's account.
The plural is businessmen and the female form businesswoman, though business person and business people are now common in writing that covers both. The word implies ownership or seniority rather than employment.
1nounbusinessmanA man who works in trade or runs a company.
“He's a successful businessman who owns three restaurants in the city.”
businessman is a person.
Business plus -man, replacing the older merchant in ordinary use.
Middle English
bisynes
English
business
English, today
businessman
From business + -man. Displaced earlier merchant, ultimately from Latin mercāns (“merchant, buyer”). business comes from Middle English bisynes. From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + ness. a doublet of busyness. Sense 17 (something very good, top quality), possibly derives from "the bee's knees"
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA