Basic 850: An Online Wordbook
16 May, 2005
Work
is one of the 400 words for general things. It is travail in French and Arbeit in German. "It was hard work to get the house clean; farm work; brain work; working for an hour; working a machine (The Basic Words). The Basic Words gives special examples like "I am working on a book," "The men are at work; there is no need to get worked up about it; the details have been worked out; working at (languages)." Other special word-groups are "He is working his way through school; get to work (on); make up the work you did not do; take on new work."
Work is sometimes used with a special sense of "what a man does for a living." Example: "What is his work?" (The Basic Words). "Work is frequently the father of pleasure" (Voltaire).
"Thing produced" is an expansion from the root-sense of this word. It is œuvre in French and Werk in German. It is used in a statement like this: "The picture is a great work" (The Basic Words).
"In operation; in order" for en mouvement or en bon ordre in French and in Betreib in German are other expansions from the sense when this word takes the form of working. It is used in statements like "The machine is working" or "the system is working well."
Works is the form when it is used with other expansions, for "working parts of a machine." "The works are in need of oil." Works are sometimes "a work-place in industry," méchanisme or usine in French and Getriebe or Werk in German. "Send goods back to the works; a gas works."
Workhouse is the word used for "public house where the poor were housed and given work to do."
Workman is for "man working with his hands."
See artwork under "Art."
See stickwork under "Stick."
¶ 15:51
Work is sometimes used with a special sense of "what a man does for a living." Example: "What is his work?" (The Basic Words). "Work is frequently the father of pleasure" (Voltaire).
"Thing produced" is an expansion from the root-sense of this word. It is œuvre in French and Werk in German. It is used in a statement like this: "The picture is a great work" (The Basic Words).
"In operation; in order" for en mouvement or en bon ordre in French and in Betreib in German are other expansions from the sense when this word takes the form of working. It is used in statements like "The machine is working" or "the system is working well."
Works is the form when it is used with other expansions, for "working parts of a machine." "The works are in need of oil." Works are sometimes "a work-place in industry," méchanisme or usine in French and Getriebe or Werk in German. "Send goods back to the works; a gas works."
Workhouse is the word used for "public house where the poor were housed and given work to do."
Workman is for "man working with his hands."
See artwork under "Art."
See stickwork under "Stick."
¶ 15:51
