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PhotographyBusiness, from busy-ness:
The etymology of “business” relates to the state of being busy either as an individual or society as a whole, doing commercially viable and profitable work.
See also: business time, flight of the conchords.
January 31st, 2012
January 31st, 2012 at 15:39
Hilarious, thanks!
February 4th, 2012 at 21:41
Very interesting! The handy Mac Dictionary (New Oxford American Dictionary) goes back a crucial bit further:
ORIGIN Old English bisignis (see busy , -ness ). The sense in Old English was [anxiety] ; the sense [the state of being busy] was used from Middle English down to the 18th cent., but is now differentiated as busyness. The sense [an appointed task] dates from late Middle English , and from it all the other current senses have developed.
Sometimes it’s all there right in the words we use.