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industrialist

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Etymology and origin of the English word industrialist

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1839 Mechanics' Magazine More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Latin industria
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English industry
English industrial
English industrialist

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɪnˈdʌstriəlɪst/[1]
  • US: /ᵻnˈdəstriələst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English industrial + -ist, after industrialism.[1][2][3] Etymonline suggests it may be modelled on French industrialiste,[2] which Klein says was coined by the Comte de Saint-Simon in 1823,[4][2] and Merriam-Webster Unabridged derives it from the French word, meaning an advocate of industrialism.[5] Industrial is from French industriel, from Medieval Latin industriālis, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity”).[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person engaged in or connected with industry, especially a manufacturer: 1839, in the Mechanics' Magazine.[1] Etymonline dates the modern sense to 1846, with an earlier use for one who lives by productive industry from 1837.[2]

Semantic evolution

The word came in as the 19th century gave industrial its main modern sense, "connected with manufacturing", which Etymonline dates from 1830, after French.[2] Early uses were broad, for anyone living by productive work, but it soon settled on the owners and managers of manufacturing firms.[2][1][5] From 1842, in Samuel Laing's travel notes, it was also an adjective, "of or characterized by industrialism".[1][5]

Timeline

  • 1837 – one who makes a living by productive industry.[2]
  • 1839 – a person engaged in industry, especially a manufacturer.[1][2] Merriam-Webster Unabridged dates the word to 1864.[5]
  • 1842 – adjective, characterized by or engaged in industrialism.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who owns or manages a large industrial business, especially a manufacturer: a steel industrialist.[5][6][1]

Adjective

  1. Relating to or characterized by industrialism.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Industrialist.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/industrialist. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·