Etymologically
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teamwork

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈtiːmwɜːk/[1]
  • US: /ˈtiːmwɝːk/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from English team + work,[2][3][4] usually spelled with a space or a hyphen in its early senses.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ploughing, hauling or other farm work done with a team of draught animals: 1800.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word from 1828,[3][5] and Etymonline contrasts this work of horses or oxen with manual labour.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word moved from teams of animals to teams of people.[2][3] In 1870 it was used in manufacturing for a system in which each worker made one part of an article.[2] The modern sense began in sport: the OED records the play of a team as one cohesive unit from 1885,[2] and Etymonline from 1889, in American baseball, calling the use originally colloquial.[3] From 1896 it was used generally of people working together successfully.[2]

Timeline

  • 1800 – work done with a team of draught animals.[2]
  • 1828 – team-work, work done by a team of horses or oxen.[3][5]
  • 1870 – in manufacturing, work divided among several workers.[2]
  • 1885 – in sport, a team playing as one unit.[2]
  • 1889 – in American baseball.[3]
  • 1896 – general, successful cooperation in a group.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Work done by a group of people who cooperate, each doing a part, for the success of the whole: The rescue succeeded through good teamwork.[5][6][2]
  2. The ability of a group to work well together.[6]
  3. Work done with a team of draught animals (now chiefly historical).[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins