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July 3, 2023 Tweet Word of the Week Like Word of the Week on Facebook


Word of the Week--"freelance"
Definition--As a noun, someone who sells his or her services to employers without a long-term commitment or contract to any single employer. As a verb, to work as a freelance.
Discussion--Interestingly, freelance, a common term today for an independent businessperson, has its roots in the Medieval military. In Medieval times, mercenaries came to be referred to as a "free lance"--one who would lend himself and his weapon to any cause.
 
Etymology--freelance is a neologism coined by combining the terms free and lance. Like many such terms in English, its usage has changed over time from being two words, to a hyphenated term, and finally one word with a separate meaning unto itself.
 
Freelance is also the term used in Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. Fench, German, and other languages use native versions of free worker, independent worker, or self-employed person.

   Foreign Translations
German: freiberuflich
Dutch: freelance
French: travailleur (-euse) ind�pendant(e) (m/f)
Italian: freelance, autonomo
Spanish: aut�nomo, por cuenta propia, freelance
 

Jane Ellis      Tweet Word of the Week Like Word of the Week on Facebook

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