Manufacturing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˌmænjəˈfækt͡ʃəɹɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The systematic creation of physical goods utilizing machines and human labor occurs within the realm of production
2. The organized activity of creating products on a large scale using tools and labor
3. The method of making items through machinery and worker effort in factories

Etymology: The most surprising thing about this word is how literal it once was: "manufacture" was built from Medieval Latin "manūfactūra," meaning "a making by hand." The Latin parts are "manū," the ablative of "manus" (hand), and "factus," the past participle of "faciō" (to do or make). For centuries the word described goods made by a craftsperson's hands, with no machines involved at all. The word passed into English through Middle French "manufacture," which kept that handmade sense. Its meaning widened as production changed, and only later came to mean the factory-based, machine-driven making of goods that "manufacturing" now names. The shift from a single artisan's hands to whole workshops and then to machinery is built into the word's own history. The "-ing" ending turns the noun into a gerund, so "manufacturing" can name the activity itself as well as the industry that carries it out. It is related to "manual," which shares the same Latin root for hand.

Synonyms: production, fabrication, assembly, creation, construction

Antonyms: destruction, demolition, deconstruction, dismantling, disassembly