Etymology of “industry”

Industry: late 15c., “cleverness, skill,” from Old French. industrie, from Latin industria “diligence,” fem. of industrius “industrious, diligent,” used as a noun, from early Latin indostruus “diligent,” from indu “in, within” + stem of struere “to build” (see structure).

Structure: mid-15c., “action or process of building or construction,” from Latin structura “a fitting together, adjustment, building,” from structus, pp. of struere “to pile, build, assemble,” related to strues “heap,” from Proto-Indo-European stere– “to spread, extend, stretch out” (cf. Sanskrit. strnoti “strews, throws down;” Avestan star– “to spread out, stretch out;” Greek stronymi “strew,” stroma “bedding, mattress,” sternon “breast, breastbone;” Latin sternere “to stretch, extend;” Old Church Slavonic stira, streti “spread,” strama “district;” Russian stroji “order;” Gothic straujan, Old High German strouwen, Old English streowian “to sprinkle, strew;” Old English streon “strain,” streaw “straw, that which is scattered;” Old High German stirna “forehead,” strala “arrow, lightning bolt;” Old Irish fo-sernaim “spread out,” srath “a wide river valley;” Welsh srat “plain”). Meaning “that which is constructed, a building or edifice” is from 1610s. Structured “organized so as to produce results” is from 1959.

(The Online Etymology Dictionary is a treasure.)

Leave a Reply