industry

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the organized action of making of goods and services for sale

   American industry is making increased use of computers to control production

2. 2
   noun

   the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise

   each industry has its own trade publications

3. 3
   noun

   The tendency to work persistently.

   Over the years, their industry and business sense made them wealthy.

4. 4
   noun

   Businesses of the same type, considered as a whole; trade.

   The software and tourism industries continue to grow, while the steel industry remains troubled.

5. 5
   noun

   Businesses that produce goods as opposed to services.

   But through the oligopoly, charcoal fuel proliferated throughout London's trades and industries. By the 1200s, brewers and bakers, tilemakers, glassblowers, pottery producers, and a range of other craftsmen all became hour-to-hour consumers of charcoal.

6. 6
   noun

   The sector of the economy consisting of large-scale enterprises.

   There used to be a lot of industry around here, but now the economy depends on tourism.

7. 7
   noun

   Automated production of material goods.

   It is a classical and restricted view both of industry (it excludes service sectors, now 70% of the GDP of developed economies)[…]

8. 8
   noun

   persevering determination to perform a task

Etymology

From Middle English industry, industrie, from Old French industrie, from Latin industria (“diligence, activity, industry”), from industrius (“diligent, active, zealous”), from Old Latin indostruus (“diligent, active”); origin unknown. Perhaps from indu (“in”) + ūst-, ūstr-, stem of ūrō (“burn, burn up, consume”, verb), related to Old High German ūstrī (“industry”), Old English andūstrian (“to hate, detest”, literally “to be consumed with zeal”).