workspace

Etymology

It is a compound from English work + space.^[2][3][4] The OED compares the earlier working space.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Space in which to work, or a place where work is done: 1881, in the British Medical Journal.^[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1959, in computing,^[3] and Dictionary.com to 1955–60.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The general sense was later narrowed to a desk in an office, with a computer terminal and keyboard.^[2] From 1974 the word also meant an area or building rented or sold for business use.^[2] In computing it has meant from 1959 a part of the memory set aside to hold work in progress, and since 1977 an area of a graphical user interface used for a particular task.^[2][3] Etymonline notes its use for human working spaces by 1979.^[3]

Timeline

• 1881 – space in which to work.^[2]
• 1959 – in computing, working memory.^[2][3]
• 1974 – an area or building used for business.^[2]
• 1977 – an area of a graphical user interface for a particular task.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An area set aside for work, such as a desk in an office: Each employee has a workspace by the window.^[5][2]
2. Premises rented, sold or used for business.^[2]
3. (computing) Memory set aside to hold data while it is being worked on.^[2][3]
4. (computing) An area of a graphical user interface used for a particular task.^[2]

Related words

• workstation
• work
• space

References

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