Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “industry” come from?

Industry comes from Middle English industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria, meaning diligence or earnestness, derived from the adjective industrius.

industry (English): The tendency to work persistently. Diligence;...

Definitions

  1. The tendency to work persistently. Diligence;...

Ancestry of “industry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishindustry—
2Old Frenchindustrie—
3Latinindustriadiligence, assiduousness; industry, activity;...
4Latinindustriusactive, industrious, assiduous, diligent
5Latinstruō—
6Proto-Italicstrowōpile up; construct, build
7Proto-Indo-Europeanstrew-to spread, to strew
8Proto-Indo-Europeansterh₃-to spread, extend, stretch out
9Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile

Words derived from “industry”

  • industrywide
  • interindustry
  • agroindustry
  • subindustry
  • nonindustry
  • bioindustry
  • proindustry
  • multiindustry
  • industrywise
  • microindustry
  • antiindustry
  • proto-industry
  • cyberindustry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →