As an engineer, I've always been fascinated as colleagues go off to other jobs, presumably better paying, in the large, nebulous field of "finance." And so yesterday I took a look at my dictionaries to see what the origins of the word might be.
1990 dictionary: from the Old French "finans," or "ransom."
Noah Webster's 1828: from Latin and French words meaning a "fine."
Hmmmm.....I may yet decide to start demanding ransoms or fines for a living, or I may realize that modern word usage isn't completely hostage to etamology. Hopefully the latter, but I figured my "vast readership" might enjoy the irony of one of our most respected (and disrespected) professions having its root in feudal hostage-taking.
Podcast #1,060: No, There Isn’t a Loneliness Epidemic (And That May Be an
Even Bigger Problem)
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Face-to-face socializing in America has declined by more than 20%
nationwide. Among some groups, like young adults and unmarried men, the
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13 hours ago
2 comments:
The financial services (read Banks) basically pirate your money.
I guess that makes me a pirate!
Arrrgggh!
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