In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.
BUSINESS
business, stage business, byplay
(noun) incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect; “his business with the cane was hilarious”
occupation, business, job, line of work, line
(noun) the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money; “he’s not in my line of business”
business
(noun) the volume of commercial activity; “business is good today”; “show me where the business was today”
business
(noun) a rightful concern or responsibility; “it’s none of your business”; “mind your own business”
business
(noun) an immediate objective; “gossip was the main business of the evening”
business, business sector
(noun) business concerns collectively; “Government and business could not agree”
business, concern, business concern, business organization, business organisation
(noun) a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it; “he bought his brother’s business”; “a small mom-and-pop business”; “a racially integrated business concern”
clientele, patronage, business
(noun) customers collectively; “they have an upper class clientele”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
business (countable and uncountable, plural businesses)
(countable) A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.
(countable) A person's occupation, work, or trade.
(uncountable) Commercial, industrial, or professional activity.
(uncountable) The volume or amount of commercial trade.
(uncountable) One's dealings; patronage.
(uncountable) Private commercial interests taken collectively.
(uncountable) The management of commercial enterprises, or the study of such management.
(countable) A particular situation or activity.
(countable) Any activity or objective needing to be dealt with; especially, one of a financial or legal matter.
(uncountable) Something involving one personally.
(uncountable, parliamentary procedure) Matters that come before a body for deliberation or action.
(travel, uncountable) Business class, the class of seating provided by airlines between first class and coach.
(acting) Action carried out with a prop or piece of clothing, usually away from the focus of the scene.
(countable, rare) The collective noun for a group of ferrets.
(uncountable, slang, British) Something very good; top quality. (possibly from "the bee's knees")
(slang, uncountable) Excrement, particularly that of a non-human animal.
Adjective
business
Of, to, pertaining to or utilized for purposes of conducting trade, commerce, governance, advocacy or other professional purposes.
Professional, businesslike, having concern for good business practice.
Supporting business, conducive to the conduct of business.
Source: Wiktionary
Busi"ness, n.; pl. Businesses. Etym: [From Busy.]
1. That which busies one, or that which engages the time, attention, or labor of any one, as his principal concern or interest, whether for a longer or shorter time; constant employment; regular occupation; as, the business of life; business before pleasure. Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business Luke ii. 49.
2. Any particular occupation or employment engaged in for livelihood or gain, as agriculture, trade, art, or a profession. "The business of instruction." Prescott.
3. Financial dealings; buying and selling; traffic in general; mercantile transactions. It seldom happens that men of a studious turn acquire any degree of reputation for their knowledge of business. Bp. Popteus.
4. That which one has to do or should do; special service, duty, or mission. The daughter of the King of France, On serious business, craving quick despatch, Importunes personal conference. Shak. What business has the tortoise among the clouds L'Estrange.
5. Affair; concern; matter; -- used in an indefinite sense, and modified by the connected words. It was a gentle business, and becoming The action of good women. Shak. Bestow Your needful counsel to our business. Shak.
6. (Drama)
Definition: The position, distribution, and order of persons and properties on the stage of a theater, as determined by the stage manager in rehearsal.
7. Care; anxiety; diligence. [Obs.] Chaucer. To do one's business, to ruin one. [Colloq.] Wycherley.
– To make (a thing) one's business, to occupy one's self with a thing as a special charge or duty. [Colloq.] -- To mean business, to be earnest. [Colloq.]
Syn.
– Affairs; concern; transaction; matter; engagement; employment; calling; occupation; trade; profession; vocation; office; duty.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
28 April 2024
POLYGENIC
(adjective) of or relating to an inheritable character that is controlled by several genes at once; of or related to or determined by polygenes
Coffee Trivia
