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July 3, 2023
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| 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.
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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.
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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 |
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| Dutch: |
freelance |
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| French: |
travailleur (-euse) indépendant(e) (m/f) |
| Italian: |
freelance, autonomo |
| Spanish: |
autónomo, por cuenta propia, freelance |
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Jane Ellis
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