2007-02-17 08:18:46 · 2 answers · asked by izi 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The word is straight from Anglo-Saxon (or Old English) but it is a cognate of Ancient Greek 'ergon' also meaning "work" which appears in Modern English words like 'ergative' and 'energy'. It's also found in 'Homo Ergaster' ("The Working Man"), the name of an extinct hominid (human) that lived in Eastern and Southern Africa about 1.5 to 2.0 million years ago.
2007-02-17 17:23:50 · answer #1 · answered by Brennus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"a fusion of O.E. wyrcan (past tense worhte, pp. geworht), from P.Gmc. *wurkijanan; and O.E. wircan (Mercian) "to work, operate, function," formed relatively late from P.Gmc. noun *werkan (see work (n.)). Worker as a type of bee is recorded from 1747. Work out "do strenuous physical exercise" first recorded 1909, originally in boxing jargon. Working-class first attested 1789 (n.), 1839 (adj.). Workmanlike "efficient, no-nonsense" is recorded from 1739. "
2007-02-17 08:24:41 · answer #2 · answered by aroundworldsports 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋