Ergonomics
/ˌɜːrɡəˈnɒmɪks/noun
The study of designing tools, systems, and workplaces to fit human use and comfort.
Did you know?Ergonomics was coined in the 19th century from Greek roots meaning “work” and “law/custom,” so the word itself is basically a spell for how labor should be governed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wergʰ-
“to do, make, work”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔργον (érgon)
“work, deed, task”
Ancient Greek
Greek
νόμος (nómos)
“custom, law, rule”
19th Century
Polish/Greek coinage
ergonomia
“the study or science of work”
1850s
English
ergonomics
“the science of work and its efficient arrangement”