Freelance

Part of speech: adjective, noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈfɹiːlɑːns/

Definitions

1. A person who works independently for various clients or employers rather than being employed by a single organization on a permanent basis
2. An individual who provides specialized services to multiple clients on a temporary basis without a long-term employer relationship is engaged in independent work
3. A worker who offers services or skills to different clients independently, not bound to one company, typically on a project or short-term basis

Etymology: Walter Scott coined "freelance" in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe, and he meant it literally. His medieval knights-for-hire were "free-lances," warriors whose lances were not sworn to any lord, so they could fight for whoever paid them. The idea of a soldier loyal to no master gave the term its sense of independence. The word is a compound of "free" and "lance." "Lance" came into English from Old French "lance," itself from Latin "lancea," meaning a spear or light lance, and "free" descends from an Old English root. Put together, a "free lance" was a fighter who carried his own weapon into the service of anyone he chose. By the 1860s the term had moved from the battlefield to the writing desk and studio, describing journalists and artists who sold work to several employers rather than staying on one payroll. It was recognised as a verb in 1903, and the derived noun "freelancer" followed, so the medieval mercenary's independence now describes a modern worker's.

Synonyms: independent, self-employed, contractor, freelancer, consultant

Antonyms: employed, salaried, dependent, attached, fixed