How did the word freelance originate?

Our earliest written evidence for ‘freelance’ comes from Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, in which a lord refers to his paid army of ‘free lances’. When freelance first came into English in the early 1800s, it was used to refer to a medieval mercenary who would fight for whichever nation or person paid them the most.

Who invented the word freelance?

Although the term freelancer is commonly attributed to Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe (1820) to describe a “medieval mercenary warrior” or “free-lance” (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord’s services, not that the lance is available free of charge), a previous appearance occurs in Thomas N.

What does the word freelancer means?

noun. plural freelances. Definition of freelance (Entry 3 of 3) 1 : a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelancer … the 42-year-old writer, who is now working on a book about Evelyn Waugh and his circle, described himself as a full-time freelance.—

How old is freelancing?

The Origin and Evolution of Freelancing To our surprise, freelancing was an old existing concept that dates back a few hundred years. The oldest reference to the word “freelance” dates back to the early 19th century.

Is freelance concept started from the Internet?

You may be wondering if the freelancing concept started from the internet. If you find yourself wondering about the history of freelancing, it turns out “freelance” is a pretty old word—way older than “internet.” (Does that mean our grandparents could have been freelancers? Because that’s weird.)

Can a kid be a freelancer?

Freelancing has no age limit, so what you can do online or in the real world as a freelancer is pretty much limitless.

Where does the word “Freelance” come from?

The word “freelance” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1903, and since then has passed into the everyday lexicon as a noun, adjective, and adverb. It currently means “Self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments”.

What is another word for freelance?

freelancer, freelance, free-lance, free lance, independent, self-employed person(adj) a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them. Synonyms: fencesitter, mugwump, free-lance, freelancer, free lance, independent, self-employed person. Antonyms:

What is the origin of freelance?

The term freelance (noun) was coined by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe (1820). It literally stands for a free lance, signifying a medieval mercenary whose lance is currently not engaged in war and therefore free for being dispatched.