industrial

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪnˈdʌs.tri.əl/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English industry + -al,^[2] in later use influenced by French industriel,^[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin industriālis,^[3] from Latin industria (“diligence, activity”).^[3][4] It is related to industry and industrious.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pertaining to industry or productive labour: 1590 in the OED,^[5] an isolated use in the 1580s in Etymonline;^[3] the New Oxford dates it to the late 15th century.^[2] Etymonline's regular record begins in 1774, as “resulting from labour”, from French.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The main modern meaning, connected with the manufacture of goods, is from 1830, from a French sense.^[3] Industrial revolution was in use by 1840 of the then recent changes in England and elsewhere.^[3] The industrial school, teaching trades to poor children, is from 1853,^[5] and the noun, a person engaged in industry, from 1865.^[5][4] “Suitable for industrial use” is from 1904,^[3][5] and “having highly developed industries” from 1911.^[5] As a style of harsh dance or rock music it is from 1988.^[3][6]

Timeline

• 1590 – of productive labour.^[5]
• 1774 – resulting from labour.^[3]
• 1830 – of manufacturing.^[3]
• 1840 – industrial revolution.^[3]
• 1865 – noun.^[5][4]
• 1904 – of industrial quality.^[3][5]
• 1988 – a style of music.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of, relating to or resulting from industry.
2. Having highly developed industries: an industrial nation.
3. Used or suitable for use in industry: industrial diamonds.
4. Of a type of harsh rock or dance music using machine-like sounds.

Noun

1. A company engaged in industry, or a share issued by one.
2. A worker in industry.

Word family

• industrially
• industrialness
• agroindustrial
• industrialise
• industrialism
• industrialist
• industrialize
• industrial-strength

Related words

• industrious
• industry

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press