Industry
/ˈɪn.də.stri/noun
Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacturing of goods.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, *industria*, meant “diligence” or “zeal,” and the word was once used for a kind of energetic, almost ritualized force of action rather than factories and smokestacks.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheu-
“to be fit, be capable, be firm”
Latin
Latin
industrius
“diligent, active, zealous”
Latin
Latin
industria
“diligence, activity, zeal”
Late Latin
Latin
industria
“diligence, skill, careful application”
Middle French
Old French
industrie
“skill, cleverness, practical knowledge”
Middle English
English
industrie
“skill, ingenuity, habitual diligence”
Modern English
English
industry
“organized manufacture or economic production; also diligence or hard work”