Word Hoard

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Career or Job (or Vocation)

Career comes from the Frenchword for racecourse. The French borrowed their word from Old Provencal for street. I think this is telling of French culture, when they take a word for street and turn it into racecourse (not the safest drivers are we?). This alters the meaning of "career track" a bit too, but I don't think it is much of a stretch to say that a career is a race (toward what? I don't know.)

Job ultimately comes from the word for a bite. After that it came from Middle English for lump. I feel it is fitting that job is linked to eating. What we will do to put food in our mouths.

Not being much of a racer myself, I'm still waiting for my vocation, while doing my job.

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