English Online Dictionary. What means industry? What does industry mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English industry, industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity, industry”), from industrius (“diligent, active, zealous”), from Old Latin indostruus (“diligent, active”); origin unknown. Perhaps from indu (“in”) + ūst-, ūstr-, stem of ūrō (“burn, burn up, consume”, verb), related to Old High German ūstrī (“industry”), Old English andūstrian (“to hate, detest”, literally “to be consumed with zeal”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɪndəstɹi/
- Hyphenation: in‧dus‧try
Noun
industry (countable and uncountable, plural industries)
- (uncountable) The tendency to work persistently. Diligence.
- (countable, business, economics) Businesses of the same type, considered as a whole. Trade.
- (uncountable, economics) Businesses that produce goods as opposed to services.
- (in the singular, economics) The sector of the economy consisting of large-scale enterprises.
- (Europe software patent law) Automated production of material goods.
- (archaeology) A typological classification of stone tools, associated with a technocomplex.
Synonyms
- (tendency to work persistently): diligence, industriousness; application
- (businesses of the same type): sector; field
- (businesses that produce goods): manufacturing
Derived terms
Related terms
- industrial
- industrious
Translations
Further reading
- “industry”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “industry”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “industry”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- "industry" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 165.