Etymologically
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industrial

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 20:26. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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